Abstract
Bacterial infections are very commonly acquired infections.
Cephalosporins are broad-spectrum antibiotics used to manage a
wide-variety of infections caused by gram-positive and gram-negative
bacteria. The knowledge of the basic chemistry helps in understanding
the pharmacokinetic, antimicrobial and toxicological profiles of
cephalosporins. Cephalosporins are antibiotics with bactericidal
activity which act by inhibiting the synthesis of cell wall in bacteria.
The drugs of this class are classified into five generations in which
the antimicrobial spectrum shifts from gram-positive bacteria to
gram-negative bacteria with increasing generations of Cephalosporins.
Antibiotic-producing bacteria contain a wide range of complex defense
mechanisms to protect themselves from their own antibiotics and it
results in the development of antibiotic resistance. The various
mechanisms by which bacteria develop resistance are: production of
β-lactamases, alteration of the porin channels, alteration of molecular
structure of transpeptidase, and upregulation of cephalosporin efflux
pumps. The new cephalosporins are the foundation for the real warning
signs to open up new and interesting possibilities for serious
infections in the future thereby ensuring rational selection of
antibiotics for various infections.