[Lambdamycin, an antibiotic from Streptomyces glaucoachromogenes Prauser strain MET 31118]

Lambdamycin-producing strains were detected by means of the BIP test method. The isolation technique and the physicochemical and biological properties of lambdamycin, an antibiotic produced by Streptomyces glaucoachromogenes, are described. Lambdamycin is a yellow-green pigment of the chromoglycoside type. Digitalose and fucose are the sugar components. The physicochemical properties of lambdamycin resemble those of chartreusin. However, the known biological activity is different. The antibiotic can be isolated from culture filtrates and from the mycelium by extraction with lower aliphatic alcohols. It can be purified by gel filtration methods. Lambdamycin displays antimicrobial activity, particularly against grampositive bacteria. Strains which produce enzymes inactivating different commercial antibiotics are also inhibited. Moreover, lambdamycin shows antiviral activity, as well as cancerostatic and ergotropic action in vitro and in vivo. The acute LD50 of lambdamycin in mice after 21 days was greater than 125 mg/kg when administered intraperitoneally.