DESCRIPTIONS OF ANTIBIOTICS 



197 



and ])rec'ipitated with acetone. Methanolic solu- 

 tion centrit'uged to remove insoluble impurities, 

 and supernatant evaporated to dryness to give 

 Fraction A 10. 



Chemical and physical properties: Fractions C 

 and A 10 differ only in their reaction with picric 

 acid : C forms a picrate ; A 10 does not . C is a hygro - 

 scopic cream-colored substance; A 10 is an amor- 

 phous, hygroscopic, gray-colored suljstance. A 10 

 and C: Positive Sakaguchi, Tollen, Benedict, and 

 Molisch tests. Negative maltol, Millon, biuret, 

 ninhydrin, glucosamine, and Schiff tests. 



Biological activity: A 10: Active on one strain 

 of B. subtilis at 0.9 to 1.8 ^g Pf' n\\, but inactive 

 on a second. Active on micrococci, streptococci, 

 and Sarcina at 0.9 to 9.2 ng per ml. Very slightly 

 active (33 to 49 /xg per ml) on Neisseria caiarrhalis 

 and Brucella suis. Inactive on other gram-nega- 

 tive bacteria, mycobacteria, and Candida kritsei. 

 C: very moderate activity on certain gram-posi- 

 tive bacteria; inactive on certain strains on which 

 A 10 is active. 



Toxicity: Mice tolerate 300 mg per kg subcu- 

 taneously. 



Reference: 1. Gongalves de Linui, ( ). et al. Anais 

 soc. biol. Pernambuco 13: 125 129, 1955. 



Antibiotic Ax 18 



Produced by: Streptoniyccs recifensis (formerly 

 Nocardia recifei (2)). 



Method of extraction: Precipitated from the cul- 

 ture-broth as the picrate. Conversion to the hydro- 

 chloride or sulfate, which are precipitated from 

 a methanolic solution on addition of ligroin. Re- 

 precipitated from absolute methanol. Conversion 

 to orange II salt, then to the sulfate (1). 



Chemical and physical properties: Basic sub- 

 stance. Sulfate or hydrochloride: Amorphous, gray 

 substance, soluble in water and methanol. Insolu- 

 ble in acetone, ligroin, and ethyl ether. Positive 

 Sakaguchi, biuret, and ninhydrin tests. Negative 

 maltol test (1). 



Biological activity: Very slightly active on a 

 strain of Staph, aureus (27.5 Mg ppr ml) :iii<l '»n B. 

 anthracis (55 Mg per ml) (1). 



References : 



1. Gongalves de Lima, (). et al. Anais soc. biol. 



Pernambuco 13: 21-29, 1955. 



2. Falcao de Morals, J. O. e< ai. Anais soc. biol. 



Pernambuco 15:239-253, 1957. 



Antibiotic E 129 



Produced by: Streptomyces ostreogriseus (1, 5). 

 No description is given. 

 Synonyms: Ostreogrycin. 



Certain antibiotic complexes, such as the 

 actinomycins, have a confused nomenclature be- 

 cause numerous groups of scientists have worked 

 with the complex in question, and each has intro- 

 duced a different set of terms for the components. 

 Only one scientific group has been responsible for 

 the characterization of the E 129 complex, but they 

 have introduced what appears to be two confusing 

 sets of designations. In their patent publication 

 (5), they refer to six components. A, B, C, D, E, 

 and Z. Component A is synonymous with the 

 previously described antibiotic PA 114A. Com- 

 ponent Z is reportedly synonymous with PA 11-lB. 

 They describe in some detail the component B, 

 said to be a new sultstance similar chemically to 

 A and Z. (This will be referred to below as "Patent 

 Component B.") In some of their other publica- 

 tions (2, 3), the E 129 complex was said to con- 

 tain three components, A, B, and G. Component 

 A w^as synonymous with PA 114A and staphylo- 

 mycin Mi . Component B was synonymous with 

 PA 114B, and may be presumed to be the same as 

 Z (above), l)ut different from staphylomycin S. 

 This Component B will hereafter be referred to as 

 ''Other Component B." It was not known whether 

 Component Cx was the same as staphylomycin M2 

 because of the impurity of Mj . A comparison of 

 the data availal)le on Patent Component B and 

 Component (J does not make it possible to state 

 whether they are the same. They are therefore 

 treated separately below. 



Method of extraction: Component G: Broth-fil- 

 trates extracted with ethyl acetate. Solvent re- 

 moved under reduced pressure. Purification by 

 fractional precipitation, chromatography, and 

 countercurrent distribution (aciueous methanol- 

 hydrocarbon solvent) (2). Patent Component B: 

 Separated from crude complex by chromatography 

 on alumina at pH 4.0 with ethylene dichloride as 

 solvent and developer, or ethylene dichloride- 

 petroleum ether (1:1) followed by a 3: 1 mixture as 

 developer. These fractions contain mainly Com- 

 ponent A. Chloroform fractions which follow con- 

 tain mainly B. A final methanol-ethyl acetate- 

 water elution gives a fraction containing all the 

 components. Petroleum ether added to the chloro- 

 form gives a precipitate of B. Further purified by 

 countercurrent distribution with one of the fol- 

 lowing systems: ethyl acetate-water-methanol 

 (4:2.5:1.5); or l)enzene-methanol-water (2:1:1), 

 (4:1:3), or (3:1:2) (5). 



Chemical and physical properties: Component G: 

 White, homogeneous, amorphous solid. Highly 

 solul)le in moist polar solvents. Nearly insolulile 

 in water, light petroleum, or carljon tetrachloride 



