Treatment of fortimicin B with lithium in ethylamine gave 3-O-demethylfortimicin B. The latter was converted by methodology developed with fortimicin B to 3-O-demethylfortimicin A, 4-N-sarcosyl-3-O-demethylfortimicin B, 4-N-beta-alanyl-3-O-demethylfortimicin B, and 4-N-(beta-aminoethyl)-3-O-demethylfortimicin B. 3-O-demethylfortimicin A and the 4-N-acyl-3-O-demethylfortimicins B had appreciably higher antibacterial activities than the corresponding parent fortimicins. Most significant was the increased activity of 3-O-demethylfortimicin A relative to fortimicin A against a variety of strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
The conversion of fortimicin E, a minor metabolite from the Micromonospora olivoasterospora fermentation which also produces fortimicin A and fortimicin B, to four 4-N-aminoacylfortimicins E was accomplished.The new 4-N-aminoacylfortimicins E showed only weak antimicrobial activity against several Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms.
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