Lincomycin	Last updated: 07/09/2025
(Also known as: lincomycine; cillimycin; LCM)

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GENERAL INFORMATION

Description	A lincosamide antibacterial veterinary drug often formulated using the hydrochloride variant
Examples of veterinary uses	Used to treat various bacterial infections including those of the gums, teeth, skin and bone as well as wound infections and pneumonia
Examples of species treated	Dogs; Cats; Pigs; Poultry; Cattle; Bees

Approval status

VMR 2013/2033 approval status (GB/UK)	Approved - usually supplied as a prescription only medicine to be authorised by a veterinarian (POM-V)
EU Regulatory approval status	Approved

Chemical structure

Isomerism	Lincomycin exhibits stereoisomerism, specifically multiple chiral centres, which give rise to distinct diastereomers and enantiomers. Its molecular structure includes several asymmetric carbon atoms, most notably within its pyrrolidine ring and the sugar-like moiety derived from methylthiol-substituted hexopyranose. The naturally occurring form of lincomycin is the (2S,4R)-N-[(1R,2R)-2-hydroxy-1-[(2R,3R,4S,5R,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(methylsulfanyl)oxan-2-yl]propyl]-1-methyl-4-propylpyrrolidine-2-carboxamide, which is the biologically active isomer.
Chemical formula	C₁₈H₃₄N₂O₆S
Canonical SMILES	CCCC1CC(N(C1)C)C(=O)NC(C2C(C(C(C(O2)SC)O)O)O)C(C)O
Isomeric SMILES	CCC[C@@H]1C[C@H](N(C1)C)C(=O)N[C@H](C2[C@@H]([C@@H]([C@H]([C@H](O2)SC)O)O)O)C(C)O
International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)	OJMMVQQUTAEWLP-ZUWRKQLMSA-N
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)	InChI=1S/C18H34N2O6S/c1-5-6-10-7-11(20(3)8-10)17(25)19-12(9(2)21)16-14(23)13(22)15(24)18(26-16)27-4/h9-16,18,21-24H,5-8H2,1-4H3,(H,19,25)/t9-,10-,11+,12+,13+,14-,15-,16+,18-/m1/s1
2D structure diagram/image available?	Yes

Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre diagrams

Common Name	Relationship	Link
lincomycin hydrochloride monohydrate	Variant

General status

Veterinary substance type	Antibiotic, Antibacterial, Antimicrobial, Medicinal drug, Medicated feed additive
Substance groups	Lincosamide
Minimum active substance purity	-
Known relevant impurities	-
Substance origin	Natural
Mode of action	It inhibits bacteria by suppressing protein synthesis and growth.
Molecular targets	[50S ribosomal protein L10, Antagonist]
CAS RN	154-21-2
EC number	205-824-6
CIPAC number	-
US EPA chemical code	-
PubChem CID	3000540
Therapeutic Class	Antiinfectants for system use: Antibacterials for systemic use
ATCvet Code	QJ01FF02
Controlled Drug?	No
Regulation 37/2010 MRL Classification	Allowed substance (Table 1: All food producing species)
Molecular mass	406.54
PIN (Preferred Identification Name)	-
IUPAC name	(2S,4R)-N-[(1R,2R)-2-hydroxy-1-[(2R,3R,4S,5R,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(methylsulfanyl)oxan-2-yl]propyl]-1-methyl-4-propylpyrrolidine-2-carboxamide
CAS name	D-erythro-α-D-galacto-Octopyranoside, methyl 6,8-dideoxy-6-[[[(2S,4R)-1-methyl-4-propyl-2-pyrrolidinyl]carbonyl]amino]-1-thio-
Forever chemical	-
Other status information	-
Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards	-
Physical state	White crystalline powder
Related substances & organisms	lincomycin hydrochloride clindamycin

Commercial

Property	Value
Availability status	Current but mainly superceded by its semisynthetic derivative, clindamycin
Introduction & key dates	1964, first approval USA
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically	Zoetis UK Ltd SP Veterinaria AdvaCare Pharma
Example products using this active	Lincocin Lincovex LincoCare Injection
Formulation and application details	Available in a range of formulations, often as the hydrochloride variant, including solutions for injection, powders for adding to drinking water and medicated premix feeds
Commercial production	Lincomycin is produced through microbial fermentation using the actinomycete Streptomyces lincolnensis, which naturally synthesises the antibiotic. The process begins with cultivating the microorganism in a carefully optimised fermentation medium rich in carbon and nitrogen sources, often including glucose, soybean meal, and mineral salts. During fermentation, S. lincolnensis biosynthesises lincomycin A and trace amounts of lincomycin B, with production influenced by factors like pH, temperature, and aeration. To enhance yield and reduce by-products, strategies such as calcium gluconate feeding and medium optimisation are employed. After fermentation, the broth undergoes filtration and extraction, typically using organic solvents, followed by purification steps like crystallization or chromatography to isolate lincomycin hydrochloride.
Impact on climate of production and use	As microbial-based products tend to use fermentation-based production processes rather than chemical synthesis, they typically have a lower fossil fuel input in formulation and active ingredient creation, and also have reduced downstream emissions due to biodegradability and minimal soil disruption, their life-cycle GHG emissions are expected to be low. Whilst hard and precise data is not available, broad estimates suggest that typically emissions are likely to be below 5 kg CO₂e/kg.

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		927	R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data	Moderate
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Melting point (°C)		295	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source as the hydrochloride	-
Boiling point (°C)		-	-	-
Degradation point (°C)		-	-	-
Flashpoint (°C)		-	-	-
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C	P	1.95 X 1000	Calculated	-
	Log P	0.29	R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data	Low
Fat solubility of residues	Solubility	-	-	-
	Data type	-	-	-
Density (g ml⁻¹)		-	-	-
Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C		12.9	R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data	-
		-
Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)		2.46 X 10-14	R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data	Low volatility
Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)		-	-	-
Volatilisation as max % of applied dose lost	From plant surface	-	-	-
	From soil surface	-	-	-
Maximum UV-vis absorption L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹		-	-	-
Surface tension (mN m⁻¹)		-	-	-
Refractive Index		-	-	-
Environmental release		Substance may enter the environment via the urine and faeces of treated animals or by leaching from spilt medicated feed.

Degradation

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Soil degradation (days) (aerobic)	DT₅₀ (typical)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (field)	-	-	-
	Note	-
Manure DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Aqueous photolysis DT₅₀ (days) at pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Aqueous hydrolysis DT₅₀ (days) at 20 °C and pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Water-sediment DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Water phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Sediment phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Air degradation		As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below.
Decay in stored produce DT₅₀		-

Soil adsorption and mobility

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Linear	Kd (mL g⁻¹)	-	R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data	Mobile
	Koc (mL g⁻¹)	59
	Notes and range	-
Freundlich	Kf (mL g⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Kfoc (mL g⁻¹)	-
	1/n	-
	Notes and range	-
pH sensitivity		-

Fate indices

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
GUS leaching potential index		-	-	-
Bio-concentration factor	BCF (l kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	CT₅₀ (days)	-		-

Known soil and groundwater metabolites

None

Other known metabolites

Metabolite name and reference	Aliases	Formation medium / Rate	Estimated maximum occurrence fraction
lincomycin sulfoxide	-	Mammals	-
N-desmethyl-lincomycin sulfoxide	-	Mammals	-

ECOTOXICOLOGY

Terrestrial ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 4000	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat as HCl salt	Low
Mammals - Short term dietary NOEL	(mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	(ppm diet)	-		-
Mammals - Chronic 21d NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Acute LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Short term dietary (LC₅₀/LD₅₀)		-	-	-
Birds - Chronic 21d NOEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Chronic NOEC, reproduction (mg kg⁻¹)		> 1000	R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data Eisenia foetida	Low
Soil micro-organisms		-	-	-
Collembola	Acute LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Chronic NOEC (mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
Non-target plants	Vegetative vigour ER₅₀ (g ha⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Seedling emergence ER₅₀ (g ha⁻¹)	-	-	-
Honeybees (Apis spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Unknown mode acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Chronic	-	-	-
	Notes	-
Bumblebees (Bombus spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
		-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
		-
Mason bees (Osmia spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
Other bee species (1)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Other bee species (2)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Beneficial insects (Ladybirds)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Lacewings)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Parasitic wasps)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Predatory mites)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Ground beetles)		-	-	-

Aquatic ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		> 980	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Lepomis macrochirus as the hydrochloride	Low
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Tropical Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		379.4	R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data Daphnia magna	Low
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Tropical Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		> 4.8	F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data Ceriodaphnia dubia	Moderate
Aquatic crustaceans - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, static, water (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, sediment (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic Plants (free-floating, fonds growth, fresh) - 7 day (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic plants (rooted, growth rate, fresh) - 14 day (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Acute (growth rate, fresh; mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Chronic (growth rate, fresh; mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mesocosm study data	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
Marine bivalves		-	-	-

HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION

General

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Threshold of Toxicological Concern (Cramer Class)		High (class III)	-	-
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 4000	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat as HCl salt	Low
Mammals - Dermal LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ body weight)		-	-	-
Mammals - Inhalation LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Other Mammal toxicity endpoints		Subcutaneous LD₅₀ = 9778 mg kg⁻¹	V3 V = ChemID Online Databases; Chemspider; PubChem. (ChemID ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	-
		Intramuscular LD₅₀ = 0.2 mg kg⁻¹	V3 V = ChemID Online Databases; Chemspider; PubChem. (ChemID ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Rabbit	-
ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
AAOEL - Acute Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
AOEL - Acceptable Operator Exposure Level - Systemic (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
Dermal penetration studies (%)		-	-	-
Dangerous Substances Directive 76/464		-	-	-
Exposure Routes	Public	-
	Occupational	-
Mammalian dose elimination route and rate		The parent drug and metabolites are excreted mainly in the urine, bile and faeces. Has been detected in milk products	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-

Health issues

Specific human health issues		Carcinogen Genotoxic Endocrine disruptor No data found A0 A = Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; B0 B = DNA damage/repair (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; C0 C = Gene mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; D0 D = Genome mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; E2 E = Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 2 = Mixed/ambiguous results No data found Reproduction / development effects Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor Neurotoxicant ✓Yes, known to cause a problem No data found No data found Respiratory tract irritant Skin irritant Skin sensitiser ✓Yes, known to cause a problem ✓Yes, known to cause a problem No data found Eye irritant Phototoxicant   ✓Yes, known to cause a problem No data found
General human health issues		May cause diarrhoea, vomiting and colitis May cause hypotension and, albeit rarely, cardiac arrest

Handling issues

Property	Value and interpretation
General	No information available
CLP classification 2013	-
WHO Classification	Not listed (Not listed)
UN Number	-
Waste disposal & packaging	-
Shelf-life, storage, stability and reactivity	-

TRANSLATIONS

Language	Name
English	lincomycin
French	lincomycine
German	-
Danish	-
Italian	-
Spanish	lincomicina
Greek	-
Polish	-
Swedish	-
Hungarian	-
Dutch	-
Norwegian	-

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Record last updated:	07/09/2025
Contact:	aeru@herts.ac.uk
Please cite as:	Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242