Penicillin

Excerpt

Penicillin is one of the most commonly used broad-spectrum antibiotics globally and has numerous clinical indications. Penicillin is effective against infections caused by gram-positive cocci, gram-positive rods, most anaerobes, and gram-negative cocci, and it stands as a cornerstone in the management and treatment of various infections within the β-lactam antibiotic class of drugs. Most bacteria feature a peptidoglycan cell wall encasing the bacterial plasma membrane, which prevents osmotic lysis and offers structural stability. This peptidoglycan wall undergoes continuous remodeling during replication and growth. Penicillin functions by inhibiting the cross-linking of peptidoglycan within the cell wall.