O-Aryloxycarbonyl hydroxamates represent a new class of
-lactamase inhibitors.
N-Benzyloxycarbonyl-
O-(phenoxycarbonyl) hydroxylamine, for example, inactivates the class C
Enterobacter cloacae P99
-lactamase with a rate constant of 6.1 × 10
3 s
-1 M
-1; approximately two turnover events accompany the inhibition.
N-Benzyloxycarbonyl-
O-[(3-carboxyphenoxy)carbonyl] hydroxylamine is comparably effective. These compounds also inactivate the class A TEM
-lactamase. A crystal structure of the inactivated AmpC enzyme, another class C
-lactamase, reveals that the active site has become cross-linked by a carbamate bridge spanning Ser64, the active site nucleophile, and Lys315, a conserved active site residue.