Therapy of Staphylococcal Infections in Monkeys: VI. Comparison of Clindamycin, Erythromycin, and Methicillin

Intravenous inoculation of a penicillin-resistant, phage type 80/81 staphylococcus caused lethal infection in six of eight untreated monkeys. Daily intragastric administration of clindamycin hydrochloride and erythromycin stearate and intramuscular inoculation of clindamycin-2-phosphate and methicillin, all at a dose level of 50 mg/kg, was followed by mortalities of one of eight, one of eight, none of eight, and one of eight monkeys, respectively. Duration of obvious acute illness in surviving monkeys and time required for complete recovery were not significantly different in the four therapy groups with the exception that duration of acute illness in monkeys treated with clindamycin-2-phosphate (mean, 4.1 days) was significantly shorter than in monkeys given erythromycin stearate (mean, 7.1 days). In vitro sensitivity data and serum antibacterial levels would suggest that methicillin would be the least effective therapeutically, followed by erythromycin stearate and the two clindamycin preparations in that order. However, this prediction was not fulfilled in these studies in experimentally infected monkeys.     

Lincomycin,clindamycin and their applications

Lincomycin and clindamycin are lincosamide antibiotics used in clinical practice. Both antibiotics are bacteriostatic and inhibit protein synthesis in sensitive bacteria. They may even be bactericidal at the higher concentrations that can be reached in vivo . Clindamycin is usually more active than lincomycin in the treatment of bacterial infections, in particular those caused by anaerobic species; and it can also be used for the treatment of important protozoal diseases, e.g. malaria, most effectively in combination with primaquine. Resistance to lincomycin and clindamycin may be caused by methylation of 23S ribosomal RNA, modification of the antibiotics by specific enzymes or active efflux from the periplasmic space.     

Lincomycin,cultivation of producing strains and biosynthesis

Lincomycin and its derivatives are antibiotics exhibiting biological activity against Gram-positive bacteria. The semi-synthetic chlorinated lincomycin derivative is used in clinical practice. The chemical structure of lincosamide antibiotics, cultivation of producing strains and analytical procedures used for separation and isolation of these compounds are described in this review. Biosynthesis of lincomycin and related compounds and its genetic control are briefly discussed.     

Cefoxitin,a New Semi-synthetic Cephamycin: An In-vitro and In-vivo Comparison with Cephalothin

The activity of cefoxitin was compared with that of cephalothin against 229 bacterial strains. Cefoxitin was more active against most Gram-negative strains, notably against indole-producing Proteus spp., which are usually resistant to the cephalosporins. Cefoxitin was not susceptible to any significant extent to degradation by β-lactamases produced by Gram-negative organisms. Against Gram-positive organisms, however, cefoxitin was considerably less active than cephalothin, but minimum inhibitory concentrations for Staphylococcus aureus were well within therapeutically attainable blood levels.Pharmacokinetic studies in 18 volunteers showed a higher and longer sustained antibiotic activity in serum and urine after injections of cefoxitin than after equal doses of cephalothin. Urinary recovery of cefoxitin activity was also much higher than that of cephalothin. No evidence of toxicity due to cefoxitin was found. Cefoxitin was slightly less painful after intramuscular injection than cephalothin.     

Erythromycin, lincosamides, peptidyl-tRNA dissociation, and ribosome editing

Inaccurate protein synthesis produces unstable -galactosidase, whose activity is rapidly lost at high temperature. Erythromycin, lincomycin, clindamycin, and celesticetin were shown to counteract the error-inducing effects of streptomycin on -galactosidase synthesized in the antibiotic-hypersensitive Escherichia coli strain DB-11 Met ^–. Newly synthesized -galactosidase was more easily inactivated by high temperatures when synthesized by bacteria partially starved for arginine, threonine, or methionine. Simultaneous treatment with erythromycin or linocomycin yielded -galactosidase that was inactivated by high temperatures less easily than during starvation alone, an effect attributed to stimulation of ribosome editing. When synthesized in the presence of canavanine, -galactosidase was inactivated by high temperature more easily but this effect could not be reversed by erythromycin. The first arginine in -galactosidase occurs at residue 13, so the effect of erythromycin during arginine starvation is probably to stimulate dissociation of erroneous peptidyl-tRNAs of at least that length. Correction of errors induced by methionine starvation is probably due to stimulation of dissociation of erroneous peptidyl-tRNAs bearing peptides at least 92 residues in length. All the effects of erythromycin or the tested lincosamides on protein synthesis are probably the result of stimulating the dissociation from ribosomes of peptidyl-tRNAs that are erroneous or short.     

Action of Lincomycin on Staphylococci

On a solid medium, 0.1 to 1 μg/ml of lincomycin hydrochloride had a bacteriostatic effect upon 95 of 100 strains of staphylococci. Using cellophane transfers, we observed a bactericidal effect upon 54 of these strains after 3 to 14 hr of contact with 1 μg/ml. Five staphylococcal strains resistant to 100 μg/ml of lincomycin were also resistant to penicillin G, streptomycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol (three strains), and rovamycin (three strains). Other staphylococcal strains resistant to methicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, and erythromycin were sensitive to lincomycin.     

Mutants of Acanthamoeba castellanii Resistant to Erythromycin, Chloramphenicol, and Oligomycin

SYNOPSIS. Cell lines of Acanthamoeba castellanii resistant to erythromycin (Ery^R), chloramphenicol (Cap^R), and oligomycin (Oli^R) have been isolated. These may be the first such mutants for A. castellanii. These mutants have been phenotypically stable for 2 years, surviving storage and vegetative multiplication in the absence of drugs. Resistance was specific for each drug, but double mutants (e.g. Ery^RCap^R) were obtained by stepwise selection. Mutant frequencies were determined in multiwell plates; <10 colony forming units (CFU/10⁵ amebas were observed in wild-type populations 12 days after incubation in 500 μg Ery/ml, 2.5 mg Cap/ml, or 15 μg Oli/ml. After 30 days, averages of 100 CFU/10⁵ amebas were observed in Ery and Cap, whereas, frequencies for Oli remained unchanged. Frequencies for Ery^R and Cap^R were consistent with rates of recovery from these drugs in batch cultures. We were unable to obtain spontaneous mutants resistant to cycloheximide, emetine, 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, or ethidium bromide. Ery^R, Cap^R and Oli^R could be mitochondrial mutants.     

Biosynthesis of Cobalamine,Erythromycin and Chlortetracycline by Streptomyces Species

Attempts were devoted to use Streptomyces aureofaciens and Streptomyces erythreus, the antibiotics producers as sources for the biosynthesis of cobalamine. The constituents of the fermentation medium and the strain play an important role in the biosynthesis of vitamin B₁₂. The same strain produced different amounts of antibiotic and vitamin on the two different constitutive media. The increase of the phosphorus concentration in the fermentation medium—within limits—increased the vitamin B₁₂ biosynthesis. The optimal concentration of phosphorus favourable for the synthesis of cobalamine was inhibitive for the antibiotic production. The phosphorus level in the fermentation medium plays an important role in the metabolism of carbohydrate and consequently on the biosynthesis of antibiotics. Low concentration of 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole (cobalamine precursor) in the presence of suitable phosphorus induced the microorganism to increase its biosynthetic potentiality for the vitamin B₁₂ production.     

Clinical and Bacteriological Studies with Clindamycin

Fifty patients have been treated with clindamycin, a chemical analogue of lincomycin. Forty-four responded satisfactorily to treatment. Gastrointestinal side-effects were rare though five patients developed rashes. Most recently isolated staphylococci are clindamycin-sensitive.     

红霉素生物合成的生物化学和基因学

从基因重组技术问世以来,对红霉素(大环内酯类抗生素)生物合成的生物化学和基因学的研究到目前已经累积了大量的研究结果。就这2个领域中对红霉素生物合成的研究历史、研究现状和研究前景(组合生物合成)作以简要的介绍。     

不同来源肝细胞在体外降脂药物评价中药效反应的对比

目的:通过对比不同来源的人肝癌细胞系HepG2和原代大鼠肝细胞在体外降脂药物评价中药效反应,指导两种肝细胞在体外降脂药物评价中的实际应用。方法:用游离脂肪酸(油酸/棕榈酸,2:1)诱导HepG2细胞、原代大鼠肝细胞脂肪变性,并用100μmol·L-1苯扎贝特干预,检测细胞内甘油三酯(TG)、总胆固醇(TC)、活性氧(ROS)含量,细胞内脂滴数目、并检测细胞上清液中丙二醛(MDA)含量和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性。结果:FFA刺激使HepG2细胞和原代大鼠肝细胞脂质沉积(TG、脂滴)和氧化应激(ROS、MDA、SOD)水平上升。苯扎贝特对HepG2细胞1 mmol·L-1FFA造模组和原代大鼠肝细胞0.5 mmol·L-1FFA造模组脂质沉积和氧化应激水平改善显著;而HepG2细胞0.5 mmol·L-1FFA造模组和原代大鼠肝细胞1 mmol·L-1FFA造模组脂质沉积和氧化应激水平在苯扎贝特干预后变化不明显。结论:在相同FFA造模浓度,原代大鼠肝细胞病理特征变化更为明显;苯扎贝特对两种肝细胞在脂质沉积和氧化应激水平的作用也不完全相同。因而HepG2细胞和原代大鼠肝细胞在体外降脂药物评价中药效反应是不完全相同的。