NCIt definition : The sodium salt form of ceftriaxone, a beta-lactam, third-generation cephalosporin
antibiotic with bactericidal activity. Ceftriaxone binds to and inactivates penicillin-binding
proteins (PBP) located on the inner membrane of the bacterial cell wall. PBPs participate
in the terminal stages of assembling the bacterial cell wall, and in reshaping the
cell wall during cell division. Inactivation of PBPs interferes with the cross-linkage
of peptidoglycan chains necessary for bacterial cell wall strength and rigidity. This
results in the weakening of the bacterial cell wall and causes cell lysis. Compared
to the second and first generation cephalosporins, ceftriaxone is more active against
gram-negative bacteria and less active against gram-positive bacteria. Ceftriaxone
also crosses the blood-brain barrier and reaches therapeutic concentrations in the
central nervous system (CNS).;