Syntheses and activities of some bactobolin derivatives

Some derivatives of bactobolin were prepared from bactobolin by dehydration or substitution reactions through tris(dimethylamino)alkoxyphosphonium salt formation. A derivative with low toxicity, 6-deoxybactobolin, showed moderate activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.