Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (787 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A semisynthetic cephalosporin antibiotic with antimicrobial activity similar to that of cephaloridine or cephalothin, but somewhat less potent. It is effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Cefalexin; Cephalexin, (6R-(6alpha,7beta(S*)))-Isomer; Cephalexin, Monosodium Salt; Cephalexin, Monosodium Salt, (6R-(6alpha,7beta))-Isomer; Cephalexin Monohydrochloride; Cephalexin Dihydride; Cephalexin, (6R-(6alpha,7alpha(R*)))-Isomer; Cephalexin Hemihydrate.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Cephalosporins
- Narrower topics
- Cefaclor; Cefadroxil; Cephaloglycin; Cephradine
Related concepts
- Cephaloridine
- Cephalothin
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 3,565 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Cephalexin” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 239 of them (6.7%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 2,447 records.
Reviews account for 137 records (3.8%) and meta-analyses for 8. Randomized controlled trials number 438 (12.3%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up a comparatively large share of this literature, which means many treatment questions have been tested directly.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 2,447 |
| 2000-2009 | 484 |
| 2010-2019 | 395 |
| 2020 onward | 239 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 137 | 3.8% |
| Meta-analyses | 8 | 0.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 438 | 12.3% |
Method: PubMed query "Cephalexin"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
Enrichment of persisters enabled by a ß-lactam-induced filamentation method reveals their stochastic single-cell awakening [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- When exposed to lethal doses of antibiotics, bacterial populations are most often not completely eradicated.
- Closing excerpt
- We anticipate that our approach can have far-reaching consequences in the persistence field, by allowing single-cell studies at a much higher throughput than previously reported.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (147 words)
When exposed to lethal doses of antibiotics, bacterial populations are most often not completely eradicated. A small number of phenotypic variants, defined as 'persisters', are refractory to antibiotics and survive treatment. Despite their involvement in relapsing infections, processes determining phenotypic switches from and to the persister state largely remain elusive. This is mainly due to the low frequency of persisters and the lack of reliable persistence markers, both hampering studies of persistence at the single-cell level. Here we present a highly effective persister enrichment method involving cephalexin, an antibiotic that induces extensive filamentation of susceptible cells. We used our enrichment method to monitor outgrowth of Escherichia coli persisters at the single-cell level, thereby conclusively demonstrating that persister awakening is a stochastic phenomenon. We anticipate that our approach can have far-reaching consequences in the persistence field, by allowing single-cell studies at a much higher throughput than previously reported.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31815194 · DOI · PMC6884588
Electrochemical Sensor Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for the Detection of Cefalexin [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- In this study, a new electrochemical sensor was developed for the detection of cefalexin (CFX), based on the use of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) obtained by electro‒polymerization in an aqueous medium of indole-3-acetic acid (I3AA) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and on boron-doped diamond electrode (BDDE).
- Closing excerpt
- The developed method was successfully applied to the detection of cefalexin from real environmental and pharmaceutical samples.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (222 words)
In this study, a new electrochemical sensor was developed for the detection of cefalexin (CFX), based on the use of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) obtained by electro‒polymerization in an aqueous medium of indole-3-acetic acid (I3AA) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and on boron-doped diamond electrode (BDDE). The two different electrodes were used in order to assess how their structural differences and the difference in the potential applied during electrogeneration of the MIP translate to the performances of the MIP sensor. The quantification of CFX was performed by using the electrochemical signal of a redox probe before and after the rebinding of the template. The modified electrode was characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The influence of different parameters on the fabrication of the sensor was tested, and the optimized method presented high selectivity and sensitivity. The MIP-based electrode presented a linear response for CFX concentration range of 10 to 1000 nM, and a limit of detection of 3.2 nM and 4.9 nM was obtained for the BDDE and the GCE, respectively. The activity of the sensor was successfully tested in the presence of some other cephalosporins and of other pharmaceutical compounds. The developed method was successfully applied to the detection of cefalexin from real environmental and pharmaceutical samples.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 30818825 · DOI · PMC6468396
Evaluating the Removal of the Antibiotic Cephalexin from Aqueous Solutions Using an Adsorbent Obtained from Palm Oil Fiber [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- This study aimed to understand the adsorption process of cephalexin (CPX) from aqueous solution by a biochar produced from the fiber residue of palm oil.
- Closing excerpt
- Promising results were obtained, indicating that this adsorbent can potentially be applied to purifying wastewater that contains trace antibiotics.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (167 words)
This study aimed to understand the adsorption process of cephalexin (CPX) from aqueous solution by a biochar produced from the fiber residue of palm oil. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Boehm titration, and the point of zero charge were used to characterize the morphology and surface functional groups of the adsorbent. Batch tests were carried out to evaluate the effects of the solution pH, temperature, and antibiotic structure. The adsorption behavior followed the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order model with a maximum CPX adsorption capacity of 57.47 mg g-1. Tests on the thermodynamic behavior suggested that chemisorption occurs with an activation energy of 91.6 kJ mol-1 through a spontaneous endothermic process. Electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding represent the most likely adsorption mechanisms, although π-π interactions also appear to contribute. Finally, the CPX removal efficiency of the adsorbent was evaluated for synthetic matrices of municipal wastewater and urine. Promising results were obtained, indicating that this adsorbent can potentially be applied to purifying wastewater that contains trace antibiotics.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 34199337 · DOI · PMC8199501
Structure-Based Analysis of Cefaclor Pharmacokinetic Diversity According to Human Peptide Transporter-1 Genetic Polymorphism [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Cefaclor is a substrate of human-peptide-transporter-1 (PEPT1), and the impact of inter-individual pharmacokinetic variation due to genetic polymorphisms of solute-carrier-family-15-member-1 (SLC15A1) has been a topic of great debate.
- Closing excerpt
- As a result, molecular structure-based analysis recently suggested that SLC15A1 exons 5 and 16 genetic polymorphisms of PEPT1 were limited to being the main focus in interpreting the pharmacokinetic diversity of cefaclor.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (251 words)
Cefaclor is a substrate of human-peptide-transporter-1 (PEPT1), and the impact of inter-individual pharmacokinetic variation due to genetic polymorphisms of solute-carrier-family-15-member-1 (SLC15A1) has been a topic of great debate. The main objective of this study was to analyze and interpret cefaclor pharmacokinetic variations according to genetic polymorphisms in SLC15A1 exons 5 and 16. The previous cefaclor bioequivalence results were integrated with additional SLC15A1 exons 5 and 16 genotyping results. An analysis of the structure-based functional impact of SLC15A1 exons 5 and 16 genetic polymorphisms was recently performed using a PEPT1 molecular modeling approach. In cefaclor pharmacokinetic analysis results according to SLC15A1 exons 5 and 16 genetic polymorphisms, no significant differences were identified between genotype groups. Furthermore, in the population pharmacokinetic modeling, genetic polymorphisms in SLC15A1 exons 5 and 16 were not established as effective covariates. PEPT1 molecular modeling results also confirmed that SLC15A1 exons 5 and 16 genetic polymorphisms did not have a significant effect on substrate interaction with cefaclor and did not have a major effect in terms of structural stability. This was determined by comprehensively considering the insignificant change in energy values related to cefaclor docking due to point mutations in SLC15A1 exons 5 and 16, the structural change in conformations confirmed to be less than 0.05 Å, and the relative stabilization of molecular dynamic simulation energy values. As a result, molecular structure-based analysis recently suggested that SLC15A1 exons 5 and 16 genetic polymorphisms of PEPT1 were limited to being the main focus in interpreting the pharmacokinetic diversity of cefaclor.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 38999989 · DOI · PMC11241437
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Linezolid for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in children [5]
- Research article Cefaclor-associated serum sickness-like disease: eight cases and review of the literature [6]
- Research article Cefadroxil. A review of its antibacterial, pharmacokinetic and therapeutic properties in comparison with cephalexin and cephradine [7]
- Research article Sustainable approaches for removal of cephalexin antibiotic from non-clinical environments: A critical review [8]
- Research article Cefaclor revisited [9]
- Research article Characteristics, Properties and Analytical Methods of Cefadroxil: A Review [10]
References
- Windels EM, Ben Meriem Z, Zahir T, Verstrepen KJ, Hersen P, Van den Bergh B, et al.. Enrichment of persisters enabled by a ß-lactam-induced filamentation method reveals their stochastic single-cell awakening. . 2019. PMID 31815194 · DOI · PMC6884588
- Feier B, Blidar A, Pusta A, Carciuc P, Cristea C. Electrochemical Sensor Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for the Detection of Cefalexin. . 2019. PMID 30818825 · DOI · PMC6468396
- Acelas N, Lopera SM, Porras J, Torres-Palma RA. Evaluating the Removal of the Antibiotic Cephalexin from Aqueous Solutions Using an Adsorbent Obtained from Palm Oil Fiber. . 2021. PMID 34199337 · DOI · PMC8199501
- Jang JH, Jeong SH. Structure-Based Analysis of Cefaclor Pharmacokinetic Diversity According to Human Peptide Transporter-1 Genetic Polymorphism. . 2024. PMID 38999989 · DOI · PMC11241437
- Kaplan SL, Afghani B, Lopez P, Wu E, Fleishaker D, Edge-Padbury B, et al.. Linezolid for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in children. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2003. PMID 14520144 · DOI
- Vial T, Pont J, Pham E, Rabilloud M, Descotes J. Cefaclor-associated serum sickness-like disease: eight cases and review of the literature. Ann Pharmacother. 1992. PMID 1504397 · DOI
- Tanrisever B, Santella PJ. Cefadroxil. A review of its antibacterial, pharmacokinetic and therapeutic properties in comparison with cephalexin and cephradine. Drugs. 1986. PMID 3542485 · DOI
- Ali Noman E, Al-Gheethi A, Saphira Radin Mohamed RM, Talip BA, Hossain MS, Ali Hamood Altowayti W, et al.. Sustainable approaches for removal of cephalexin antibiotic from non-clinical environments: A critical review. J Hazard Mater. 2021. PMID 34000703 · DOI
- Meyers BR. Cefaclor revisited. Clin Ther. 2000. PMID 10743978 · DOI
- de Marco BA, Salgado HR. Characteristics, Properties and Analytical Methods of Cefadroxil: A Review. Crit Rev Anal Chem. 2017. PMID 27494757 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.