Cefazolin – is an antibiotic, 1 st generation cephalosporin. Cephalosporins are classified as β- lactam antibiotics. These antibiotics work by blocking one of the last steps in the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall, the so-called transpeptidation, i.e. the process of cross-linking the primary linear structure, thanks to which the bacterial cell wall obtains a permanent structure. This is due to the similar structure of the antibiotic and the natural substances used by bacteria to build the cell wall. Inhibition of the transpeptidase enzyme, which is involved in this process, results in inhibition of the building of the cell wall and subsequent disintegration of the bacterial cell. Due to this mechanism of action, β-lactam antibiotics show the strongest activity in the phase of the highest development of bacteria and their most intensive growth. Cefazolin is used in the treatment of severe infections of the respiratory system, urinary system and genital organs, skin and soft tissues, bile ducts, bones and joints, sepsis, endocarditis and the prevention of perioperative infections. Cefazolin is not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, therefore it is administered intramuscularly or intravenously. The biological half-life is approximately 2 hours. It is not metabolized. During the first 6 hours after administration, about 60% of the drug is excreted in the urine.
