Kumemicinones A-G, Cytotoxic Angucyclinones from a Deep Sea-Derived Actinomycete of the Genus Actinomadura.

Chemical investigation of the fermentation products of a deep sea water-derived actinomycete, Actinomadura sp. KD439, identified seven new angucyclinones, designated as kumemicinones A-G (1-7), together with the known SF2315B and miaosporone E. NMR and MS spectroscopic analyses, combined with X-ray crystallography and quantum chemical calculations of NMR chemical shifts and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, uncovered the structures of new angucyclinones as regioisomers of SF2315B at the allyl alcohol unit (1 and 2), an epoxy ring-opened γ-hydroxy enone isomer (3), a B/C-ring-rearranged product (4), or dimers with a new mode of bridging (5-7), adding new structural variation to this antibiotic group. The absolute configuration of SF2315B was also determined by comparison of ECD spectra with those of 1 and 2. All the angucyclinones exhibited cytotoxicity against P388 murine leukemia cells, with IC50 values ranging from 1.8 to 53 µM.

Nomimicins B-D, new tetronate-class polyketides from a marine-derived actinomycete of the genus Actinomadura.

Three new tetronate-class polyketides, nomimicins B, C, and D, along with nomimicin, hereafter named nomimicin A, were isolated from the culture extract of Actinomadura sp. AKA43 collected from floating particles in the deep-sea water of Sagami Bay, Japan. The structures of nomimicins B, C, and D were elucidated through the interpretation of NMR and MS analytical data, and the absolute configuration was determined by combination of NOESY/ROESY and ECD analyses. Nomimicins B, C, and D showed antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, Kocuria rhizophila and Bacillus subtilis, with MIC values in the range of 6.5 to 12.5 µg/mL. Nomimicins B and C also displayed cytotoxicity against P388 murine leukemia cells with IC50 values of 33 and 89 µM, respectively.

Development of an in vivo-mimic silkworm infection model with Mycobacterium avium complex.

In vivo-mimic silkworm infection models with Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare were newly established to evaluate the therapeutic effects of anti-M. avium complex (MAC) antibiotics. Silkworms raised at 37°C died within 72 hours of an injection of M. avium or M.intracellulare (2.5 × 107 colony-forming unit (CFU)/larva·g) into the hemolymph. Clinical anti-mycobacterial (tuberculosis) antibiotics were evaluated under these conditions. Clarithromycin, kanamycin, streptomycin, amikacin, and ciprofloxacin exerted therapeutic effects in a dose-dependent manner, which was consistent with those in the mouse model. Furthermore, three effective actinomycete culture broths were selected in the screening program of our microbial broth library using the silkworm model, and four active metabolites, ohmyungsamycins A and B (1 and 2), chartreusin (3), and griseoviridin (4), were identified. Among these compounds, 1 showed the lowest 50% effective dose (ED50) value (8.5 µg/larva·g), while 3 had the best ED50/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio (7.4). These results indicate that silkworm models are a useful tool for identifying anti-MAC antibiotics candidates with veritable therapeutic effects.

Akazamicin, a cytotoxic aromatic polyketide from marine-derived Nonomuraea sp.

In our screening program on marine-derived actinomycetes, Nonomuraea sp. AKA32 isolated from deep-sea water collected from a depth of 800 m in Sagami Bay, Japan was found to produce compounds cytotoxic to cancer cells. Activity-guided purification led to the isolation of a new aromatic polyketide, akazamicin (1), along with two known compounds, actinofuranone C (2) and N-formylanthranilic acid (3). Structures of these compounds were elucidated through the interpretation of NMR and MS spectroscopic data. Compounds 1, 2, and 3 displayed cytotoxicity against murine B16 melanoma cell line with the IC50 value of 1.7, 1.2, and 25 µM, respectively.