A New Solvent for the Purification of the Antifungal Antibiotic Belonging to Trichomycin Group

Abstract

Among many antifungal antibiotics, there are polyene antibiotics which can be classified into four groups¹⁾ by means of ultraviolet absorption spectrum, that is, fungicidin-rimocidin-chromin group, eurocidin group, mediocidin group and trichomycin²⁾-ascosin-candicidin group. Trichomycin-ascosin-candicidin group is insoluble in nonpolar solvents such as ether and chloroform. Trichomycin-ascosin-candicidin group is soluble in many organic solvents such as acetone and methanol. Especially, this group is easily soluble in basic or acidic solvents such as pyridine, phenol, and in some organic solvents comprising many hydroxyl groups. In spite of the insolubility in water in free form of trichomycin group, many solvents need water to dissolve them.

Antibiotics belonging to this group, being almost same in their nature, can not be distinguished one from another, and their solubility in various solvents is also same. The purpose of this paper is to describe a new solvent system to purify this group of antibiotics using trichomycin as the representative.