Antibiotics of the mureidomycin group, their preparation, and their

Abstract

New antibiotics of the mureidomycin group have the formula ##STR1## wherein X represents the group ##STR2## and wherein R represents hydrogen, an alkyl group having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having from 2 to 7 carbon atoms, an alkynyl group having from 3 to 7 carbon atoms, an aryl group having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms, an aralkyl group having from 7 to 10 carbon atoms, or one of the said aryl or aralkyl groups substituted with at least one substituent selected from halogen and alkyl groups having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms. The compound in which X represents 8-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-3-yl is named mureidomycin E and the compound in which X represents 6-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-3-yl is named mureidomycin F. This group of compounds and their pharmaceutically acceptable esters and salts are useful as antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections. Mureidomycins E and F can be obtained by fermentation of a suitable Streptomyces strain, in particular Streptomyces flaviodovirens SANK 60486 (BIKOKEN JOHKI 1347; FERM BP-1347). Alternatively, all of the compounds can be obtained synthetically by reacting the previously known compound mureidomycin A with an aldehyde of the formula