The antagonism between the antifungal antibiotic, ascosin, and some long-chain, unsaturated fatty acids

Abstract

The antifungal activity of ascosin is suppressed by the presence of certain unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids, while the saturated, straight-chain fatty acids studied did not show such action. The antifungal action is also suppressed by Tween 80 and to a lesser degree by yeast and liver extracts. The antifungal action of the antibiotics, fradicin, prodigiosin, and fungicidin was also antagonized by oleate and Tween 80, while the action of actidione was not suppressed. The possibility of a metabolite-antimetabolite relationship between ascosin and several 18-carbon, unsaturated fatty acids is suggested.