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Difference Between Penicillin and Cephalosporin

August 2, 2019 Posted by Madhu

The key difference between penicillin and cephalosporin is that penicillin is more susceptible to β-lactamases, whereas cephalosporin is less susceptible to β-lactamases.

Both penicillin and cephalosporin are antibacterial drugs. Furthermore, these compounds act by inhibiting transpeptidases (the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of peptidoglycan).

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Penicillin
3. What is Cephalosporin
4. Side by Side Comparison – Penicillin vs Cephalosporin in Tabular Form
4. Summary

What is Penicillin?

Penicillin is an antibiotic drug we use against many bacterial infections. The name penicillin is used for a group of drugs including penicillin G, penicillin V, procaine penicillin and benzathine penicillin. Furthermore, the discovery of penicillin was by Alexander Fleming in 1928.

Key Difference - Penicillin vs Cephalosporin

Figure 1: Alexander Fleming

Moreover, this drug is effective against infections caused by staphylococci and streptococci. These drugs were among the first medications for bacterial infections, and even today, they are widely used. However, many bacteria types have developed resistance against these drugs now.

The metabolism of penicillin occurs in the liver, and the elimination half-life is between 0.5 to 56 hours. The excretion of the drug can occur in kidneys. Moreover, the routes of administration of these drugs include oral administration, intravenous administration and intramuscular administration. Some common side effects regarding this drug include the following:

  • Diarrhoea
  • Hypersensitivity
  • Nausea
  • Rash
  • Neurotoxicity
  • Utricaria
  • Superinfection, etc.

What is Cephalosporin?

A cephalosporin is a group of β-lactam antibiotics derived from the fungus Acremonium. There is a subgroup of this drug class named “cephems”. Moreover, the discovery of cephalosporin was in 1945 by the Italian pharmacologist Giuseppe Brotzu. We use this drug to treat bacterial infections. Also, the first generation of cephalosporin is mainly active against gram-positive bacteria. Furthermore, patients can use this drug if they are allergic to penicillin. It is because the biological target for this drug is penicillin-binding proteins.

Difference Between Penicillin and Cephalosporin

Figure 01: A List of Drugs in the Cephalosporin Drug Class

However, there are some adverse effects of this drug as well:

  • Diarrhoea
  • Nausea
  • Rash
  • Electrolytic disturbances
  • Pain and inflammation at the injection site, etc.

What is the Difference Between Penicillin and Cephalosporin?

Both penicillin and cephalosporin are groups of antibacterial drugs. The key difference between penicillin and cephalosporin is that penicillin is more susceptible to β-lactamases, whereas cephalosporin is less susceptible to β-lactamases. When considering the first discovery, penicillin was found by Alexander Fleming, and cephalosporin was found by the Italian pharmacologist Giuseppe Brotzu.

Difference Between Penicillin and Cephalosporin in Tabular Form

Summary – Penicillin vs Cephalosporin

Both penicillin and cephalosporin are groups of antibacterial drugs. But, the key difference between penicillin and cephalosporin is that penicillin is more susceptible to β-lactamases, whereas cephalosporin is less susceptible to β-lactamases.

Reference:

1. Society for Microbiology and Infection. “Penicillin’s & Cephalosporins Basics.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 14 Oct. 2013, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Alexander-fleming” By National Library of Medicine. Transferred from nl.wikipedia to Commons by Hardscarf using CommonsHelper (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Cephalosporins Generation1” (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

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Filed Under: Biochemistry

About the Author: Madhu

Madhu is a graduate in Biological Sciences with BSc (Honours) Degree and currently persuing a Masters Degree in Industrial and Environmental Chemistry. With a mind rooted firmly to basic principals of chemistry and passion for ever evolving field of industrial chemistry, she is keenly interested to be a true companion for those who seek knowledge in the subject of chemistry.

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