The orthosomycins, a new family of antibiotics

Abstract

A new family of antibiotics, the orthosomycins, which contain in their structures one or more orthoester linkages associated with carbohydrate residues, is described. Examples of orthosomycin antibiotics include flambamycin ( 1), the everninomicins -B 2a, -C 2b, -D 2c and - 2( 3), hygromycin B 4a, the destomycins -A 4b, -B 5 and -C 4c, the antibiotics SS-56-C 4d, A-396-I 4e and, more recently, the avilamycins -A 49a and -C 49b. The structural elucidation of these orthosomycin antibiotics is discussed, with emphasis on structural similarities and differences, together with a commentary on their biological activities and structure-activity relationships.