M-4365 G2

Biotransformation of a macrolide antibiotic and a related compound was studied using various macrolide-producing microorganisms grown in the presence of cerulenin, an inhibitor of de novo synthesis of the aglycone moiety. Protylonolide (1) was transformed into 5-O-(4'-O-propionylmycarosyl)protylonolide (2) by a leucomycin-producing strain, Streptoverticillium kitasatoensis KA-429. M-4365 G2 (3) was bioconverted into M-4365 G3 (4), 9-dihydro M-4365 G3 (5), 3-O-acetyl M-4365 G3 (6) and 3-O-acetyl-9-dihydro M-4365 G3 (7) by a spiramycin-producing strain, Streptomyces ambofaciens KA-1028. Forosaminylated derivatives of M-4365 G2 were not obtained using this microorganism. M-4365 G2 was converted into 3-O-acetyl M-4365 G2 (8) by Stv. kitasatoensis strain KA-429 and a carbomycin-producing strain, S. thermotolerans KA-442. These results suggest that the substrate specificity of mycaminose- and forosamine-binding enzymes is high in Stv. kitasatoensis and S. ambofaciens, respectively, while that of the 3-hydroxyl acylating enzyme and mycarose-binding enzyme is low in these microorganisms. The bioconversion products showed lower antibacterial and antimycoplasmal activities than those of M-4365 G2.

In vitro activities of M-4365 G2, a new basic 16-membered macrolide antibiotic, against a total 19 strains including human, bovine, porcine, rodent, avian and saprophytic mycoplasmas were compared with those of three other macrolide antibiotics, josamycin, erythromycin and tylosin. M-4365 G2 exhibited stronger activities than the other macrolide antibiotics against 11 strains of mycoplasma tested. Especially, its higher activities against M. pneumoniae Mac and FU, U. urealyticum T-960, M. mycoides PG-1 and M. gallisepticum Kp-13, PG-31 and 9-49A were to be noticed (final minimum inhibitory concentrations: 0.0001 approximately 0.049 microgram/ml). Higher antimycoplasmal activity of M-4365 G2 than that of tylosin was also proved in experimental treatment of chickens intranasally inoculated with M. gallisepticum Kp-13 by feeding a diet containing the drug. M. gallisepticum Kp-13 was not isolated from the infected chickens fed a diet containing 0.0063% or more of M-4365 G2.

By physiochemical analyses and chemical procedures, the structures of a series of basic 16-membered macrolide antibiotics, M-4365, A1, A2, A3, G1, G2 and G3 were elucidated, and it was found that M-4365 A1, G1 and G2 were novel, while M-4365 A2, A3 and G3 were identical with rosamicin, juvenimicins A4 and B1, respectively.