Cefazolin [BSA]

Doctor used cefazolin to cure many types of bacteria. Cefazolin targets the bacterial cell wall, and degrades the bacterial cell wall. That peptidoglycan appears on bacteria's cell wall because bacterium must be dead and flat. Cefazolin does so by binds to the bacteria's penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and blocks the production of peptidoglycan. Here, PBPs break down D-alanine from peptidoglycan precursors to form cross-links to power the cell wall. PBPs are inhibited by cefazolin binding, and peptidoglycan production becomes structurally incomplete within the bacterial cell wall. Because bacteria tear down and replace their cell walls all the time, if they don't produce them well, then the cell wall will gradually rupture, and bacteria will die. It is in this step that cefazolin becomes a bactericidal agent because it kills bacteria itself, instead of just stopping them. Unlike other antibiotics, like tetracyclines or aminoglycosides, which work on protein synthesis or DNA synthesis, cefazolin kills bacteria by breaking the cell wall. It works by this mechanism against some resistant bacteria, which is useful for infection caused by vulnerable microbes.

Figure 1. Mode of action of cephalosporins
(Source: Das N, et al. 2019)

Cefazolin is usually injected via an intravenous or intramuscular route. And everything in between: respiratory, urinary, skin and soft tissues, bones and joints, sepsis, infectious endocarditis. Cefazolin is tolerated very well, however there are side effects. There will be patients who will have an allergic reaction such as rash, itch, anaphylactic shock and you should not use this medication in penicillin tolerant patients. And gastrointestinal and haematological adverse effects too. In very high doses or in renal failure, kidney damage can occur.