Anti-biotin activity of thiazolidone antibiotic.

Abstract

A new anti-tubercular antibiotic was obtained from the broth filtrate of a new species of streptomyces, Streptomyces cinnamonensis n.sp.. When this substance was obtained in a crystalline state, the authors learned a report of Sobin on a thiazolidone antibiotic. At the same time another research group of Takeda's laboratories gave out a new streptomyces antibiotic, acidomycin. Comparing the chemical and physical characteristics of these substances, the authors came to the conclusion that they are identical. Though it is strongly tuberculostatic in vitro, it is ineffective in vivo. It suggests the existence of a certain antagonist in animal tissues. The structural formula of thiazolidone antibiotic proposed by McLamore and others indicates its close resemblance to biotin and especially to desthiobiotin. Moreover, imidazolidone caproic acid, which also resembles these substances, was shown to be an antagonist to biotin and desthiobiotin by Dittmer and du Vigneaud, and Pope and Smith. The authors' preliminary experiment indicated the antagonistic effect of this antibiotic to biotin. In the present paper the competitive nature of antagonistic relationship between thiazolidone antibiotic and either biotin or desthiobiotin was recorded.