KEDARCIDIN, A NEW CHROMOPROTEIN ANTITUMOR ANTIBIOTIC

I. TAXONOMY OF PRODUCING ORGANISM, FERMENTATION AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

Strain L585-6 (ATCC 53650) is an actinomycete isolated from a soil sample collected in Maharastra State, India. It produces a new chromoprotein antitumor antibiotic, designated kedarcidin. Taxonomic studies demonstrated that strain L585-6 is an unidentified and unknown actinomycete. Kedarcidin shows potent antitumor activity against implanted P388 leukemia (3.3 μg/ml/kg) and B16 melanoma (2 μg/kg) in mice. Kedarcidin also shows potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria but no activity against Gram-negative bacteria.