Beta-Lactam+Antibiotics

History

It was in 1928 that Alexander Fleming discovered the first beta-lactam antibitoic, the infamous penicillin produced by the Penicillium strain of mould. However, it wasn't until 1941 that penicillin became available in quantities sufficient for clinical use (Shahid et al, 2009). In the 1940s and 1950s, the development of the deep fermentation procedure for the biosynthesis of penicillin allowed for its large-scale production.

However, during this period there were only two known beta-lactams: penicillin G and penicillin V. Indeed, the expansion of the beta-lactam field did not occur until the early 1960s with the development of semisynthetic penicillin, followed by the development of other classes of beta-lactam antibitocs, including the semisynthetic cephalosporins.

By the middle of the 1970s, the possibilities for developing new beta-lactam antibiotics had been largely exhausted via the addition of different side chains to the penam and cephem nuclei.