Clavam
Encyclopedia
Penam
Penams are a subclass of the broader β-lactam family of antibiotics and related compounds. Penams contain a β-lactam ring fused to a 5-membered ring, where one of the atoms in the ring is a sulfur and the ring is fully saturated. Penicillin is a member of this family of compounds....
, but with an oxygen substituted for the sulfur. Thus, they are also known as oxapenams.
An example is clavulanic acid
Clavulanic acid
Clavulanic acid is a competitive β-lactamase inhibitor combined with penicillin group antibiotics to overcome certain types of antibiotic resistance. It is used to overcome resistance in bacteria that secrete β-lactamase, which otherwise inactivates most penicillins...
.