Medical Pharmacology Chapter 35  Antibacterial Drugs

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  • First-Generation Cephalosporins

      • "Cephalosporin versus penicillin ring structures. The solid arrows indicate the core four-membered β-lactam ring within both penicillins and cephalosporins. Open arrows indicate the five-and six-member side rings for penicillin and cephalosporins, respectively. R indicates additional side chain sites where substitutions of various chemical groups produce different antimicrobial spectrum, pharmacokinetics, or stability to beta-lactamases."

      • Attribution

      • First-generation cephalosporins are characterized by their β-lactam ring fused to a dihydrothiazine ring, which distinguishes them from penicillins and confers greater resistance to β-lactamase enzymes.2,9

      • Unlike penicillins, which contain a thiazolidine ring, cephalosporins possess a six-membered dihydrothiazine ring that provides enhanced stability and broader spectrum activity.11 

      • This structural modification is crucial for their antimicrobial efficacy and pharmacological properties.

    • Introduction and History

      • First-generation cephalosporins represent the pioneering class of cephalosporin antibiotics, introduced into clinical practice in the early 1960s.

        • These β-lactam antibiotics, an important advanced in antimicrobial therapy,  were originally derived from the mold Acremonium (previously called Cephalosporium).

          • The first-generation cephalosporins include:

            • Cefazolin

            • Cephalothin

            • Cephapirin

            • Cephradine

               

            • Cefadroxil

            • Cephalexin

               

          • Each of  the agents above offer unique pharmacological properties while sharing a common mechanism of action.

    • Generational Classification

      • To facilitate classification of this antibiotic family, a "generation" system was developed.

        • This classification approach groups cephalosporins based mainly on their spectrum of antimicrobial activity as well as when they were introduced to the market.6

          • First-generation cephalosporins are defined by their potent activity against Gram-positive bacteria along with modest but clinically important spectrum against a limited set of community-acquired Gram-negative pathogens.5,7 

      • The generational system describes a trade-off in cephalosporin development in that as one progresses to higher generations (second, third, and fourth), the spectrum of activity against Gram-negative bacteria generally expands, but this is often accompanied by a decrease in potency against Gram-positive cocci. 

        • This principle explains the continuing utility for first-generation drugs.8 

          • For infections caused by susceptible Gram-positive organisms like methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), the focused and potent activity of a first-generation cephalosporin is often superior to that of a broader-spectrum but less potent later-generation agent.

            • The principle involves selecting the narrowest-spectrum, most effective drug to treat the pathogen while minimizing damage to the microbiome.

              • The  major drugs of the first generation include parenteral formulations, such as cefazolin and cephalothin, and orally administered drugs, including cephalexin, cefadroxil, and cephradine.9,10

    • Mechanism of Action

      • First-generation cephalosporins are β-lactam antibiotics that exert bactericidal effects by inhibiting bacterial cell wall synthesis.9

        • Like other β-lactams, they contain a β-lactam ring that binds to and inactivates penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), which are the transpeptidase enzymes responsible for cross-linking peptidoglycan strands in the bacterial cell wall.9

          • By blocking the transpeptidation step, cephalosporins prevent peptidoglycan cross-linking, leading to a weakened cell wall and osmotic lysis of the bacterium.9  These drugs mimic the D-alanyl-D-alanine terminus of peptidoglycan precursors, irreversibly acylating the active site of PBPs.

            • The result is an inability of bacteria to maintain cell wall integrity, causing cell death which is a time-dependent bactericidal effect.

              • Staphylococcus aureus can acquire resistance by producing altered PBPs (e.g. PBP2a encoded by the mecA gene) that have low affinity for β-lactams .

              • This resistance mechanism is the basis for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), against which first-generation cephalosporins are ineffective.9 

                • Another resistance mechanism is bacterial production of β-lactamase enzymes that cleave the β-lactam ring; first-generation cephalosporins are susceptible to some β-lactamases produced by Gram-negatives, limiting their spectrum.8

                • First generation drugs are stable to staphylococcal penicillinase, allowing them to kill methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) where penicillin G would be inactivated.9

September, 2025

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References
  1. MacDougall C Chapter 58 Cell Envelope Disruptors: In Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (Brunton LL Knollman BC eds) McGraw HIil LLC (2023).

  2. Sruthi M How Do First-Generation Cephalosporins Work? RxList. https://www.rxlist.com/how_do_first-generation_cephalosporins_work/drug-class.htm

  3. Bui T Patel P Preuss C StatPearls. National Library of Medicine. (Last update: February 17, 2024). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551517/

  4. Weinstein A The cephalosporins: activity in clinical use. Review: Drugs. 1980 August;20(2 ): 137-154. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6995096/

  5. Gruenberg K Cephalosporins Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2024. (Lange series). https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=3343&sectionid=279856791

  6. Cephalosporin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalosporin

  7. Appropriate use of Cephalosporins.BPJ. December 2011. https://bpac.org.nz/bpj/2011/december/docs/bpj_41_cephalosporins_pages_22-28.pdf

  8. Harrison C Bratcher D Cephalosporins: A Review. Pediatrics and Review volume 29, Number 8, August 2008. https://renaissance.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sites/default/files/Cephalosporins. PIR 2008 pdf.pdf

  9. Bui T Patel P Preuss C Cephalosporins. StatPearls. National Library of Medicine (last update: February 17, 2024). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551517/

  10. Shalkh A Anbhule S Cephalosporins: A Comprehensive Review and Anticipated Directions for the Future. J. Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology Research, 6(6). https://www.auctoresonline.org/article/cephalosporins-a-comprehensive-review-and-anticipated-directions-for-the-future

  11. Cephalexin. DrugBank. https://go.drugbank.com/drugs/DB00567

 

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