﻿CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC 
  AGENTS 
  — 
  WEINTRAUB 
  549 
  

  

  considerable 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  pigment 
  may 
  play 
  a 
  role 
  in 
  the 
  meta- 
  

   bolic 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  bacterial 
  cell. 
  

  

  In 
  1932 
  it 
  was 
  shown 
  that 
  pyocyanine 
  is 
  fairly 
  strongly 
  bactericidal. 
  

   In 
  6 
  hours 
  the 
  causal 
  organisms 
  of 
  anthrax 
  and 
  diphtheria 
  are 
  killed 
  

   by 
  0.025 
  percent 
  ; 
  numerous 
  other 
  species 
  are 
  also 
  susceptible, 
  although 
  

   to 
  a 
  lesser 
  degree. 
  The 
  pigment 
  is 
  about 
  twice 
  as 
  toxic 
  for 
  mice 
  as 
  is 
  

   pyocyanic 
  acid. 
  Promising 
  results 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  in 
  preliminary 
  

   trials 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  noses 
  of 
  diphtheria 
  carriers 
  were 
  sprayed 
  with 
  

   pyocyanine 
  solution. 
  

  

  a-Hydroxyphenazine. 
  — 
  In 
  adition 
  to 
  pyocyanine, 
  Pseudomonas 
  

   aeruginosa 
  produces 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  pigments 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  less 
  thor- 
  

   oughly 
  studied. 
  One 
  of 
  these, 
  a 
  decomposition 
  product 
  of 
  pyocyanine 
  

   known 
  as 
  a-hydroxyphenazine, 
  was 
  shown 
  in 
  1935 
  to 
  be 
  bactericidal 
  

   toward 
  a 
  large 
  variety 
  of 
  organisms. 
  This 
  compound 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  

   stable, 
  so 
  that 
  its 
  activity 
  rapidly 
  decreases 
  with 
  time; 
  in 
  tests 
  of 
  

   short 
  duration, 
  however, 
  it 
  has 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  highly 
  potent. 
  The 
  

   growth 
  of 
  the 
  cholera 
  vibrio, 
  for 
  example, 
  is 
  completely 
  inhibited 
  by 
  

   a 
  concentration 
  of 
  0.00013 
  percent. 
  The 
  pus-forming 
  streptococci 
  and 
  

   the 
  pneumonia 
  bacterium 
  are 
  about 
  one-half 
  as 
  sensitive. 
  The 
  toxic- 
  

   ity 
  to 
  mice 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  one-fifth 
  that 
  of 
  pyocyanine. 
  Therapeutic 
  

   trials 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  reported. 
  

  

  The 
  increased 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  multiplicity 
  of 
  antibacterial 
  agents 
  

   produced 
  by 
  Pseudomonas 
  aeruginosa 
  sheds 
  considerable 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  

   contradictory 
  experiences 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  workers 
  with 
  pyocyanase. 
  It 
  

   is 
  now 
  clear 
  that 
  different 
  preparations 
  contained 
  these 
  components 
  

   in 
  varying 
  extent. 
  Pyocyanine 
  was 
  doubtless 
  present 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  

   them. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  favorable 
  results 
  obtained 
  with 
  the 
  old 
  

   unstandardized 
  preparations, 
  a 
  reexamination 
  of 
  the 
  possible 
  applica- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  pure 
  components 
  seems 
  desirable. 
  Against 
  staphylococci, 
  

   streptococci, 
  the 
  organisms 
  of 
  typhoid 
  and 
  paratyphoid 
  fevers, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  other 
  micro-organisms, 
  pyocyanine 
  and 
  a-hydroxyphenazine, 
  have 
  

   a 
  much 
  greater 
  growth-inhibiting, 
  or 
  bacteriostatic, 
  potency 
  than 
  the 
  

   sulfonamide 
  drugs. 
  The 
  action 
  against 
  several 
  pathogenic 
  fungi 
  also 
  

   compares 
  favorably 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  disinfectants. 
  Owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  toxicity 
  of 
  the 
  Pseudomonas 
  agents 
  their 
  potential 
  usefulness 
  

   would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  limited 
  to 
  surface 
  or 
  localized 
  infections. 
  The 
  

   high 
  potency 
  against 
  fungi 
  which 
  are 
  responsible 
  for 
  such 
  infections 
  

   suggests 
  a 
  possible 
  therapeutic 
  application. 
  

  

  AGENTS 
  FROM 
  BACILLUS 
  BREVIS 
  

  

  The 
  remarkable 
  diversity 
  of 
  the 
  chemical 
  transformations 
  brought 
  

   about 
  by 
  the 
  varied 
  bacterial 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  led 
  Dubos, 
  at 
  the 
  

   Rockefeller 
  Institute 
  for 
  Medical 
  Research, 
  to 
  attempt 
  to 
  isolate 
  

  

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