Cephalosporins are β-lactam antibiotic drugs with bactericidal properties.
Introduction
General structure of cephalosporins
Cephalosporins have natural origins.
Cephalosporin C - the progenitor of this class of antibiotics - was isolated from the fungus Cephalosporium acremonium.
The discovery of cephalosporin C took place in Italy, more precisely in Sardinia, thanks to the doctor Giuseppe Brotzu.
In reality, cephalosporin C was not powerful enough to be put into therapy as such, so changes were made to its structure until it was possible to obtain the main nucleus: 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (or 7-ACA). .
Over the years, numerous modifications have been made to the 7-ACA nucleus thus allowing the development of new cephalosporins that are more effective than their natural precursor and with a broader spectrum of action.
