Cephalexin: The Most Popular First-Generation Semisynthetic Cephalosporin Antibiotic
Cephalexin is the most popular first-generation semisynthetic cephalosporin antibiotic, which is chemically synthesized form 7-aminodesacetoxycephalosporanic acid (7-ADCA) [
A2075]. It has a broad spectrum of activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The side chain substituents on the cephalosporin nucleus are the same as the substituents on the penicillin nucleus of ampicillin [
A2092]. Cephalexin attains much higher serum concentrations than ampicillin in equivalent oral doses and is much less bound to serum proteins than cephalothin [
C2769].