Antibiotic
imipenem Audio
[ ih-mih-peh-nem ]
Brand Names:
Primaxin; Recarbrio
Effect:
Decreased Cell Wall Synthesis & Repair
May Treat:
Bone Diseases, Infectious; Endocarditis, Bacterial; Enterobacteriaceae Infections; Intraabdominal Infections; Pelvic Infection; Pseudomonas Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Sepsis; Staphylococcal Infections; Streptococcal Infections; Urinary Tract Infections
More Information:
ChemID; DrugBank; DailyMed; DrugInfo; PDR
Definitions related to imipenem:
  • A broad-spectrum, semi-synthetic beta-lactam carbapenem derived from thienamycin, produced by Streptomyces cattleya. Imipenem binds to and inactivates penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) located on the inner membrane of the bacterial cell wall. PBPs are enzymes that are involved in the last stages of assembling the bacterial cell wall and in reshaping the cell wall during growth and division. This inactivation results in the weakening of the bacterial cell wall and eventually causes cell lysis. Imipenem has the greatest affinity for PBP 1A, 1B, and 2, and its lethal effect is related to binding to PBP 2 and 1B. This antibiotic is active against a wide range of gram-positive and gram-negative organisms and is stable in the presence of beta-lactamases. (NCI05)
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • An antibiotic drug used to treat severe or very resistant infection. It belongs to the family of drugs called carbapenems.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Semisynthetic thienamycin that has a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity against gram-negative and gram-positive aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, including many multiresistant strains. It is stable to beta-lactamases. Clinical studies have demonstrated high efficacy in the treatment of infections of various body systems. Its effectiveness is enhanced when it is administered in combination with CILASTATIN, a renal dipeptidase inhibitor.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.