The fungus metabolite cyclosporin A is a small peptide acting as a novel antilymphocytic agent. It strongly depressed appearance of both direct and indirect plaque-forming cells and produced a clear dose-dependent inhibition of haemagglutinin formation in mice upon oral administration. Skin graft rejection in mice and graft-versus-host disease in mice and rats were considerably delayed by cycloporin A which also prevented the occurrence of paralysis in rats with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. This compound was not only highly effective in preventing development of Freund's adjuvant arthritis, but in addition improved the symptoms in rats with established arthritis, although it is inactive in acute inflammation. This new agent contrasts with other immunosuppressives and cytostatic drugs in its weak myelotoxicity. Experimental evidence suggests that cyclosporin A, rather than being cytostatic or lympholytic, affects an early stage of mitogenic triggering of the immunocompetent lymphoid cell.

The fungus metabolite cyclosporin A is a small peptide acting as a novel antilymphocytic agent. It strongly depressed appearance of both direct and indirect plaqueforming cells and produced a clear dose-dependent inhibition of haemagglutinin formation in mice upon oral administration. Skin graft rejection in mice and graft-versus-host disease in mice and rats were considerably delayed by cyclosporin A which also prevented the occurrence of paralysis in rats with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. This compound was not only highly effective in preventing development of Freund's adjuvant arthritis, but in addition improved the symptoms in rats with established arthritis, although it is inactive in acute inflammation. This new agent contrasts with other immunosuppressives and cytostatic drugs in its weak myelotoxicity. Experimental evidence suggests that cyclosporin A, rather than being cytostatic or lympholytic, affects an early stage of mitogenic triggering of the immunocompetent lymphoid cell.

No abstract

Epipodophyllotoxin /3-D-glucopyranoside (XIII), 4'-demethylepipodophyllotoxin /3-D-glucopyranoside (XV), and 4'-demethylepipodophyllotoxin /3-o-galactopyranoside (XVI) react with aldehydes and ketones in the presence of acid catalysts to yield the corresponding cyclic acetals and ketals, resp. A number of 4 '-demethylepipodophyllotoxin /3-D-glucopyranoside derivatives exhibit a high cytostatic activity in vitro (P-815 mastocytoma cell culture) and give significant survival time increases in the mouse leukemia L-1210.

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 1235 4,5,6-Trimethoxy-N, N-dimethyl-tryptamin (XI) und zwei dem Mescalin nahestehende Verbindungen, fi-(3,4,5-Trimethoxyphenoxy)-athyl-amin (VI) und ,4,5-Trimethoxyphenoxy)-athyl-dimethylamin (III), wurden synthetisiert. Keine der drei Substanzen zeigte in vorlaufigen Humanversuchen psychotrope Aktivitat. Vor etwa 28 Jahren haben OXFORD et ~1 .~) aus dem Kulturfiltrat von Penicillium brefeldianum DODGE die Fulvinsaure (I) z, 3, isoliert. Der gleiche Pilz produziert auch Grise~fulvin~). Bei der Untersuchung eines Stammes (S 464) dieses Pilzes haben wir als Hauptprodukt Palitantin (11) 4, gefunden. In kleinerer Menge konnten wir das mit Palitantin eng verwandte Frequentin (111) 5, 6 , sowie zwei neue Stoffwechselprodukte isolieren, die wir Brefeldin A und Brefeldin B nennen. Fulvinsaure und Griseofulvin liessen sich bisher in keiner unserer Ziichtungen, die unter den verschiedensten Bedingungen durchgefiihrt wurden, nachweisen. Dagegen konnten wir Brefeldin A auch aus dem Kulturfiltrat eines weiteren Penicillium-Stammes (S 498) als Hauptmetabolit gewinnen. Als Nebenprodukt erhielten wir aus diesem Stamme noch 1-0-Stearylglycerin (cc-Monostearin)