Azicemicins A and B, new antimicrobial agents produced by Amycolatopsis. II. Structure determination.

A new structural class of antibiotics, azicemicins A (1) and B (2) were isolated from the culture broth of Amycolatopsis sp. MJ126-NF4. Their structures were elucidated from their physico-chemical properties, various NMR experiments and chemical transformations and were shown to be 3-(1-methyl-2-aziridinyl)- and 3-(2-aziridinyl)-3,4-dihydro-3,7,8,10,12b-pentahydroxy-9,12-dimeth oxy-benz [a]anthracene-1,6(2H,5H)-dione, respectively.