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Paleic acid, a fatty acid from Paenibacillus sp.: taxonomy, fermentation, isolation, structure determination, and

Ikuko Kurata1, Maya Umekita, Tsutomu Sawa

  • 1Institute of Microbial Chemistry, Tokyo, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

The Journal of Antibiotics
|July 29, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Paleic acid, a novel fatty acid antibiotic, was isolated from Paenibacillus bacteria. It exhibits potent, narrow-spectrum antibacterial activity against Mannheimia haemolytica.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Natural Product Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry

Background:

  • Antibiotic resistance necessitates the discovery of novel antimicrobial agents.
  • Bacterial fermentation is a key source for identifying new bioactive natural products.
  • Paenibacillus species are known producers of diverse secondary metabolites.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and characterize a novel antibiotic compound from Paenibacillus sp. BMK771-AF3.
  • To determine the chemical structure and absolute configuration of the isolated compound.
  • To evaluate the antibacterial activity and spectrum of the novel antibiotic.

Main Methods:

  • Fermentation of Paenibacillus sp. BMK771-AF3 to obtain the crude extract.
  • Isolation and purification of paleic acid using chromatographic techniques.
  • Structure elucidation including Mosher esterification and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
  • Determination of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) against Mannheimia haemolytica.

Main Results:

  • Paleic acid, identified as (9Z,16R)-16-hydroxy-9-octadecenoic acid, was successfully isolated.
  • The absolute configuration of the secondary alcohol and Z-geometry of the double bond were confirmed.
  • Paleic acid demonstrated potent antibacterial activity against Mannheimia haemolytica, with MIC values of 0.78–1.56 µg/mL.

Conclusions:

  • Paleic acid is a novel fatty acid antibiotic with a defined chemical structure.
  • The compound exhibits potent and specific antibacterial activity against Mannheimia haemolytica.
  • Paleic acid represents a potential lead compound for developing new therapeutics against Gram-negative pathogens.

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