Rhodomycin analogues from Streptomyces purpurascens: isolation, characterization and biological activities

During a screening program for bioactive natural products, a potential Streptomyces sp was isolated from soil. On the basis of biochemical, cultural, physiological and 16S rRNA gene analysis, it was identified as Streptomyces purpurascens. The isolate was grown in liquid medium and the crude antibiotic complex was obtained by ethyl acetate extraction. Seven purified fractions were obtained by preparative Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). Acid hydrolysis of each fraction and subsequent TLC led to the identification of aglycones and sugars indicating these compounds to be Rhodomycin and its analogues. The identity of these compounds was established on the basis of UV-visible and FT-IR spectra and comparison with published data. The compounds were active against Gram-positive bacteria. Compound E, identified as Rhodomycin B, was found to be the most potent compound with an MIC of 2 mug/ml against Bacillus subtilis. Compounds A and F identified as alpha2-Rhodomycin II and Obelmycin respectively, and Compound E exhibited an IC50 of 8.8 mug/ml against HeLa cell line but no cytotoxicity was found against L929.