Maduropeptin, a complex of new macromolecular antitumor antibiotics.

Abstract

Maduropeptin, a complex of new macromolecular antitumor antibiotics, is a metabolite of Actinomadura madurae H710-49. The active components maduropeptins A1, A2 and B are acidic chromopeptides with MW of around 22,500 and composed of 14 types of amino acids and an unstable chromophore. The antibiotics are active in vitro against Gram-positive bacteria and highly cytotoxic to tumor cells. They produced significant prolongation of survival time of mice implanted with P388 leukemia and B16 melanoma.