Toxicity and antitumour activity of three novel antibiotics in relation to their effects on protein, DNA and RNA syntheses

ABSTRACT

The antimicrobial activity, toxicity and antitumor activity of three new antibiotics were investigated in conjunction with their effects on protein and nucleic acids synthesis of some bacterial strains. The new antibiotic vinaceomycin, did not show any toxic effect to normal Swiss albino mice at a concentration up to 500 mg/kg body weight, meanwhile it exhibited an in vivo antitumor effect against Ehrlich ascites tumor [33% increase in MST]. Both xanthominomycin and rubrominomycin which act as inhibitors of DNA synthesis, showed a very slight toxicity [10%] to normal Swiss albino mice at a concentration o f450mg/kg body weight but they did not show a significant antitumor effect against Ehrlich ascites tumor