Anthracycline Antibiotics

Abstract: Disclosed are anthracycline antibiotics of a formula (I): in which R¹ and R² are hydroxyl groups, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group and X represents daunosamine-rhodenose or daunosamine-deoxyfucose; or R¹ and R² are hydroxyl groups, R³ is 1-hydroxyethyl group, R⁴ is hydrogen atom and X represents daunosamine-­ rhodenose or daunosamine-deoxyfucose; or R¹, R² and R⁴ are hydroxyl groups, R³ is ethyl group and X represents daunosamine-rhodenose, daunosamine-­ deoxyfucose, rhodosamine-rhodenose, N-­ monomethyldaunosamine-rhodenose or N-­ monomethyldaunosamine-deoxyfucose; or R¹ is methoxy group, R² is hydroxyl group, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group and X represents daunosamine-rhodenose or daunosamine-deoxyfucose; or R¹ and R⁴ are hydroxy groups, R² is hydrogen atom, R³ is ethyl group and X represents daunosamine-deoxyfucose, as well as pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof. The antibiotics (I) have a carcinostatic activity and are useful as a carcinostatic.

Description: The present invention relates to novel anthracycline antibiotics having a carcinostatic activity and which are useful as a carcinostatic as well as to a method for the preparation of said antibiotics. As carcinostatic anthracycline antibiotics, hithereto, daunomycin (refer to U. S. Patent 3,616,242) and adriamycin (refer to U. S. Patent 3,590,028) are known, and these two are compounds which are most widely utilized for clinical use at present as a carcinostatic chemotherapeutical agent. However, these have serious cardiotoxic activity and myelotoxic activity, even though they have an excellent carcinostatic activity. Therefore, these are not absolutely satisfactory as carcinostatic agents. Under the circumstances, production of compounds whose harmful side effect is reduced and whose carcinostatic activity is improved is desired, and some anthracycline antibiotics have already been proposed to be produced by means of a fermentation method, microbial conversion method and chemical synthesis method. For instance, specific examples of known antibiotics include aclacinomycin A and aclacinomycin B (refer to JP-B-51-34914 - the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication"), rhodomycin antibiotics (refer to JP-A-56-15299 - the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application"), 4'-O-tetrahydoropyranyl-adriamycin (refer to JP-B-57-13558), 3'-deamino-3'-morpholino-daunomycin and 3'-deamino-3'-morpholino-adriamycin (refer to JP-A-57-163393). Other daunomycin and adriamycin derivatives are described in Topics in Antibiotics Chemistry , Vol. 12, pages 102 to 279 (published by Ellis Horwood Limited) and The Chemistry of Antitumor Antibiotics , Vol. 1, pages 63 to 132 (published by Wiley-Interscience). The EP-A-0 063 776 describes anthracyclinone glycosides which have been obtained by treating a trisaccharide (O-α-L-cinerulosyl-(1 → 4)-O-(3-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-α-L-fucosyl)-(1 → 4)-α-L-rhodosamine (3''-O-acetyl RDC) with various anthracyclinone compounds such as aklavinone, daunomycinone, adriamycinone and carminomycinone to form the glycoside bond at the 7-position of the aglycone, and if necessary, hydrolysing said reaction products. The EP-A-0 063 776 describes generally said compounds but provides no special substances which have an extremely strong tumoricidal activity among said general scope of the anthracyclinone glycosides. As a tumoricidal agent, various kinds of analogous compounds of anthracycline antibiotics have been proposed, as mentioned above, and some of them have already been widely utilized for clinical use while some others have been put to a clinical demonstration. However, none are satisfactory in both the non-toxicity and the carcinostatic activity. In addition, in most tumoricides, the in vivo test results and animal test results are not always related directly to the carcinostatic activity of human cancers, and therefore, many-sided studies are required for tumoricidal substances. Accordingly, regarding the said anthracycline carcinostatics which have been evaluated to be effective to some degree as a tumoricide, there is a desire to obtain a new group of compounds which are more effective as a clinical medicine. The present inventors have previously illustrated methods of producing specific new anthracycline antibiotics having an excellent activity by microbial conversion of various anthracycline-aglycones with an aclacinomycin-producing strain (Streptomyces galilaeus KE 303 (FERM BP-2048). For example, refer to JP-A-56-15299 (rhodomycin antibiotics) and JP-A-57-165399 (2-hydroxyaclacinomycin A). The object of the present invention is to provide anthracycline antibiotics which are new and have a strong tumoricidal activity and which are useful as a carcinostatic. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for the preparation of the beforementioned antibiotics. Using various anthracyclines as a conversion substrate in microbial conversion, the present inventors produced new anthracycline antibiotics additionally having a neutral saccharide residue at the 4'-position and investigated the tumoricidal activity of the new antibiotics. As a result, we found substances having an extremely strong tumoricidal activity among the said new antibiotics and have hereby achieved the present invention. Accordingly, the subject matter of the present invention is to provide new anthracycline antibiotics of a formula (I): wherein R¹ is hydroxyl group, methoxy group, R² is hydroxyl group, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group, X is daunosamine-rhodinose or daunosamine-deoxyfucose, with the proviso that when R¹ and R² are hydroxyl groups, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group, then X represents daunosamine-rhodinose or daunosamine-deoxyfucose; or when R¹ is methoxy group, R² is hydroxyl group, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group, then X represents daunosamine-rhodinose or daunosamine-deoxyfucose; as well as pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof. Furtheron, according to the invention there is provided a method for preparation of anthracycline antibiotics of a formula (I): in which R¹, R², R³, R⁴ and X have the same meanings as above mentioned, wherein a compound of a formula (II): in which R¹ and R² are hydroxyl groups, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group and X' is daunosamine; or ; or R¹ is methoxy group, R² is hydroxyl group, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group and X' is daunosamine; or is microbially treated. At least there is provided a carcinostatic containing at least one of anthracycline antibiotics of the above mentioned formula (I). The new anthracycline antibiotics of the present invention include the following compounds: (This is called CG17A.) (This is called CG17B.) (This is called CG19A.) (This is called CG19B.) These antibiotics are useful not only as a tumoricidal substance by themselves but also as a nucleus for producing chemical derivatives in the form having a saccharide chain or a low molecular or high molecular active substance as bonded to the nucleus. The anthracycline antibiotics of the present invention are produced from the following compounds as a starting material. The starting materials for producing the anthracycline antibiotics of the present invention are compounds as represented by the following formula (II): in which R¹ and R² are hydroxy groups, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group and X' is daunosamine (D788-6); R¹ is methoxy group, R² is hydroxyl group, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group and X' is daunosamine (D788-5). The anthracycline compounds of the present invention are produced by microbial treatment of the above-mentioned anthracycline compounds as a starting material. As a strain of microorganisms to be used for production of the anthracycline compounds of the present invention, a mutant derived form a soil strain or a known strain, which belongs to Actinomycetes sp. and which has an ability of producing aclacinomycins, cinerubin or rhodomycins and analogues thereof, by mutagenetic treatment with a mutagen such as an ultraviolet ray or N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NTG), may be used, the mutant having no ability of the production of antibiotics and dyes but having an ability of bonding one rhodinose or deoxyfucose to the anthracycline compound of the aforesaid formula (II) which is used as a starting compound at the 4'-OH position thereof. The strain may be incubated in a medium having pertinent nutrient sources and the starting compound may be added during incubation thereby to obtain the intended anthracycline antibiotic or the formula (I) of the present invention. As one typical mutant which may be used in the present invention, a mutant strain Streptomyces galilaeus MA144-Ml, KE303 (FERM BP-2048) which has been derived from Streptamyces galilaeus MA144-Ml (ATCC 31133 or FERM P-2455) known as a strain of producing an anthracycline antibiotic aclacinomycin A (refer to JP-B-51-34915) is preferably mentioned, the said mutant strain being not antibiotic-producible but having the above-mentioned microbial convertibility. In addition, other mutant strains as derived from strains which are known as a cinerubin or rhodomycin producing strain and which have the abovementioned microbial convertibility may also be used in the present invention. Concrete explanation for the method of isolation of the said KE303 strain is described in JP-A 56-15299, which is referred to in place of explaining the method herein. The anthracycline compounds of the aforesaid formula (II) which are used to be microbially converted in accordance with the present invention were isolated by the present inventors, which may be prepared in accordance with the method mentioned below. Precisely, D788-6 may be prepared by incubating Streptomyces sp. D788, RPM-5 (FERM BP-811) which has been proposed to be a strain of producing anthracycline antibiotics D788-6, by the method described in JP-A-61-33194 (EP-0 171 677) On the other hand, D788-5 may be prepared by incubating Streptomyces sp. D788 4L-660 (FERM BP-2049), which has been proposed to be a strain of producing D788-5, by the method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 60-185797. The methods for preparation of the said anthracycline compounds will be mentioned concretely hereunder. Preparation of D788-6: From a YS slant culture (0.3 % yeast extract, 1 % soluble starch, 1.5 % agar, pH 7.2) of Streptomyces sp. D788, RPM-5 (FERM BP-811) a loopful of the microbial cells was taken out. This was inoculated in 100 ml of a sterilized seed culture medium comprising the components mentioned below) which was put in a 500 ml Erlenmeyer flask and then cultivated on a rotary shaker (230 rpm) at 28 °C for 2 days with shaking to prepare a seed culture. Seed Culture Medium: Soluble Starch 0.5 % glucose 0.5 Essan Meat 1.0 Yeast Extract 0.1 Sodium Chloride 0.1 Potassium Secondary Phosphate 0.1 Magnesium Sulfate (7H₂O) 0.1 Tap water pH 7.4 (before sterilized) Next, 15 liters of a production medium comprising the components mentioned below was put in a 30 liter jar fermenter and sterilized, and 150 ml (which corresponds to 15 %) of the above-mentioned seed culture was added and inoculated thereto. Production Medium: Taiwan Yeast 5% Soluble Starch 7.5 Yeast Extract 0.2 Sodium Chloride 0.2 Calcium Carbonate 0.3 Mineral Mixture 0.06 Tap water pH 8.2 (before sterilized) The incubation was conducted under the condition of aeration of 15 liters/min, stir of 350 rpm and temperature of 28°C for 130 hours, whereby the culture liquid became dark violet because of the product formed therein. The culture broth was taken out from the jar fermenter, diluted with water to 1/2 concentration, adjusted to have pH of 1.3 with concentrated sulfuric acid and then stirred for about one hour at room temperature. A filtration aid was added thereto in an amount of 2 % and the mycelial cells were separated by filtration to isolate 29.5 liters of filtrate. The mycelial cake was suspended in 6 liters of acetone and stirred for 20 minutes for extraction. After filtered, the acetone extract was taken out and concentrated under reduced pressure to about 1.5 liters. This was combined with the previous filtrate. The thus combined filtrate was passed through a column (pH 1.5) containing 1000 ml of Diaion HP-20 (synthetic absorbent resin, manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei Corp.) at SV of 4.5 so that the product was absorbed into the resin. The column was washed with 2000 ml of an aqueous dilute sulfuric acid (pH 1.5) and then the absorbed product was eluted with 1500 ml of 50 % acetone (pH 1.7). The eluate was concentrated under reduced pressure to about 600 ml and then this was adjusted to have pH of 8.5 with 4N sodium hydroxide and extracted with chloroform (3000 ml in total). The chloroform extract thus obtained was washed with an aqueous 20 % sodium chloride solution and dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate. After filtration, the resulting filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to a small amount, and an excess amount of n-hexane was added thereto to form a precipitate. The precipitate was collected by filtration and dried in vacuum to obtain 2.48 g of a crude powder containing D788-6 and dihydrocarminomycin. 100 g of Wako Silicagel C-200 (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Co.) was filled in a column with a mixed solvent of chloroform/methanol (20/1), and a solution of the total amount of the above-obtained crude powder dissolved in a mixed solvent of chloroform/methanol (20/1) was absorbed to the upper layer of the silicagel column, which was then developed with the same solvent system. The first eluted aglycones were removed and the column content was then developed with 600 ml of a mixed solvent of chloroform/methanol (15/1), 500 ml of a mixed solvent of chloroform/methanol (13/1) and 550 ml of a mixed solvent of chloroform/methanol (12/1) in this order, thereby to elute a fraction of D788-6. The fraction was concentrated to dryness to obtain 130 mg of a partially pure powder. This was further purified with a fractionating thin silicagel layer (20 × 20 cm: PF₂₅₄ Silicagel, manufactured by Merck Co.) as mentioned below. Briefly, the above-mentioned D788-6-containing powder was dissolved in a mixed solvent of chloroform/methanol (20/1) and crosswise spotted to the thin layer plate at the position 15 mm above the bottom thereof and then developed with a mixed solvent of chloroform/methanol/water (25/10/1). The D788-6 band was collected and extracted with a mixed solvent of chloroform/methanol (8/1). After concentrated to dryness, this was dissolved in 0.1M acetic acid buffer (pH 3.0) and washed with chloroform. The aqueous layer remained after extraction was adjusted to have pH of 8.5 with 4N sodium hydroxide and then extracted with chloroform. The resulting extract was washed with an aqueous 20 % sodium chloride solution and then dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate. This was filtered and concentrated, and an excess amount of n-hexane was added thereto to form a precipitate. The precipitate was taken out by filtration and dried in vacuum to finally obtain 58 mg of a pure D788-6. Preparation of D788-5 : From a YS slant culture (0.3 % yeast extract, 1 % soluble starch, 1.5% agar, pH 7.2) of Streptmyces D788, 4L-660 (FERM BP-2049) a loopful of the microbial cells was taken out. This was inoculated in 100 ml of a sterilized seed culture medium (comprising the components mentioned below) which was put in a 500 ml Erlenmeyer flask and then cultivated on a rotary shaker (220 rpm) at 28 °C for 2 days with shaking to prepare a seed culture. Seed Culture Medium: Soluble Starch 0.5 % Glucose 0.5 Essan Meat 1.0 Yeast Extract 0.1 Sodium Chloride 0.1 Potassium Secondary Phosphate 0.1 Magnesium Sulfate (7H₂O) 0.1 Tap water pH 7.4 (before sterilized) Next, 15 liters of a production medium comprising the components mentioned below was put in a 30 liter jar fermenter and sterilized, and 750 ml (which corresponds to 5 %) of the above-mentioned seed culture was added and inoculated thereto. Production Medium: Taiwan Yeast 5 % Soluble Starch 7.5 Yeast Extract 0.3 Sodium Chloride 0.2 Calcium Carbonate 0.3 Mineral Mixture 0.06 Tap water pH 8.2 (before sterilized) The incubation was conducted under the condition of aeration of 5 liters/min, stir of 450 rpm and temperature of 28 °C for 130 hours, whereby the culture liquid became dark reddish brown and this contained about 300 µg.ml of D788-5. 30 liters of acetone was added to about 14 liters of the thus obtained culture liquid. The resulting mixture was adjusted to have pH of 3.5 with stirring and then continuously stirred further for 1 hour. This was filtered under suction by the use of a filtration aid (topco perlite), and the resulting filtrate thus obtained was concentrated under reduced pressure to 10 liters. The concentrated liquid was extracted two times each with 10 liters of chloroform at pH of 7.5. The thus obtained chloroform extract was back-dissolved in an acidic water (10 liters × 2) at pH of 2.0. The resulting aqueous layer was adjusted to have pH of 7.5 with 4N sodium hydroxide and then extracted twice each with 5 liters of chloroform. The chloroform extract layer was dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate and then concentrated to dryness under reduced pressure to obtain 3.2 g of a crude powder of D788-5. 2.5 g of the crude D788-5 powder was dissolved in a small amount of chloroform and subjected to chromatography using a column (bed capacity: 300 ml) previously filled with silicagel (Wako Gel C-200, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Co.). As the substance is eluted with a mixed solvent of chloroform.methanol (10/1), the chromatography was observed by the above-mentioned TLC. The selected fraction was collected and concentrated under reduced pressure to a small amount. Five times by volume of n-hexane was added thereto to obtain 1.78 g of a pure D788-5. The compounds of the formula (I) of the present invention can be prepared as mentioned below. Precisely, a strain having the above-mentioned microbial convertibility, which was cultivated on a YS agar slant medium and has been stored at 6 to 7 °C, for example KE303 mutant strain, is inoculated in a medium comprising starch, glycerin, glucose or maltose as a carbon source, organic nitrogen-containing substances such as soybean powder, meat extract, yeast extract, peptone, corn steep liquor, cotton seed lees or fich powder as well as inorganic nigrogen-containing nitrate or ammonium phosphate as a nitrogen source and inorganic salts and incubated therein at 25 to 35 °C, preferably 28 °C, for 15 to 48 hours, preferably 24 hours, with shaking or stirring. Then a methanol solution containing an anthracycline compound to be converted is added to the culture medium in a final concentration of from 10 to 500 µg/ml, preferably 50 µg/ml, and the medium is still incubated further for 15 to 96 hours, preferably 72 hours, with shaking to complete the microbial conversion of the anthracycline compound added. In order to prevent the medium from foaming during fermentation, Adekanol (manufactured by Asahi Denka Kogyo KK) or silicone (manufactured by Shinetsu Chemical Co.) may optionally be added as a defoaming agent. In order to isolate the compound of the present invention from the culture broth, the culture broth is separated into mycelial cells and filtrate, and a crude dye containing the said compound is extracted from the mycelial cake and the filtrate and then purified. For extraction may be used acetone, methanol, chloroform, ethyl acetate, toluene, dilute mineral acids or acid buffers. For purification, a column or thin layer chromatography using silicagel, crosslinked dextran gel (for example, Saphadex LH-20, manufactured by Pharmacia Co.) or a weak acidic ion-exchange resin, a liquid chromatography using a pertinent solvent or a countercurrent partition by advantageously be combined. As the compound of the present invention has a basic amino-saccharide, this may be obtained in the form of a free base or also in the form of an addition salt with an inorganic acid or organic acid. The free base may be recovered in the form of an addition salt with a non-toxic salt, such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, malic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, maleic acid, citric acid, succeinic acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, glutamic acid, pantoithenic acid, laurylsulfonyl acid or methanesulfonic acid, by a known method. For formation of the addition salt, the free base may be reacted with the above-mentioned non-toxic acid in a pertinent solvent and then freeze-dried or the resulting addition salt may be precipitated in a solvent which hardly dissolves the salt. The compound of the present invention thus obtained has been ascertained to be useful as a tumoricidal substance because of the results of the tumoricidal experiment against mouse leukemia L1210 culture cells mentioned below. Activity of inhibition propagation of mouse leukemia L1210 culture cells and of inhibition synthesis of nucleic acid in the cells : L1210 cells (5 × 10⁴ /ml) were inoculated in RPMI 1640 medium (Rose Wellberg Laboratory) containing 20 % calf serum, and the compound of the present invention (as indicated in Table 1 below) was added thereto in a concentration of from 0.0005 to 50.0 µg/ml. Thus the cells were incubated in a CO₂ incubator at 37 °C for 48 hours, and the 50 % growth inhibiting concentration relative to the control group was obtained. The compound of the present invention was dissolved in M/50 acetic acid (pH 3.0) in a concentration of 1 µg/ml and then diluted with Dulbecco PBS (-) (manufactured by Nissui Pharmaceutical Co.), before being added to the medium. On the other hand, the L1210 culture cells were suspended in a 10 % calf serum-containing RPMI 1640 medium in a concentration of 8 × 10⁵ cells/ml and then incubated in a CO₂ incubator at 37 °C for 1.5 hours. Then a solution of the compound of the present invention prepared as mentioned above was added to the medium in a different concentration. 15 minutes after the addition, ¹⁴C-uridine (0.05 µCi/ml) or ¹⁴C-thymidine (0.05 µCi/ml) was added and the medium was further incubated at 37 °C for an additional 60 minutes. A cold 10 % trichloroacetic acid (TCA) was added to the reaction solution so that the reaction was stopped and the acid-insoluble substance was precipitated. This was washed twice with a cold 5 % TCA and then dissolved in formic acid. Then the radioactivity of the resulting solution was measured, and the 50 % uptake inhibiting concentration was obtained from the radioactivity uptake ratio relative to the control group. The results obtained were shown in Table 1 below. Compound 50 % Inhibiting Concentration (IC50: µg/ml) Cell Grouwth Inhibition DNA Synthesis Inhibition RNA Synthesis Inhibition Comparison CG15A 0.002 1.2 3.0 " CG15B 0.04 4.6 2.5 CG17A 0.5 3.3 1.1 CG17B 1.4 10.0 2.3 Comparison CG18B 0.16 2.6 2.3 CG19A 1.0 4.8 1.3 CG19B 2.4 10.0 10.0 Comparison CG20A 0.17 1.2 1.2 " CG20B 1.5 10.0 5.0 " CG21A 0.012 0.38 0.18 " CG22A 0.01 0.87 1.4 " CG22B 0.21 5.0 10.0 The following examples are intended to illustrate the present invention in more detail but not to limit it in any way. EXAMPLE 1 From a YS slant culture (0.3 % yeast extract, 1 % soluble starch, 1.5 % agar, pH 7.2) of Streptomyces galilaeus MA144-Ml, KE303 (FERM BP-2048), a loopful of the microbial cells was taken out. This was inoculated in 100 ml of a sterilized seed culture medium (comprising the components mentioned below) which was put in a 500 ml Erlenmeyer flask and then cultivated on a rotary shaker (220 rpm) at 28 °C for 2 hours with shaking to prepare a seed culture. Seed Culture Medium: (w/v %) Soluble Starch 0.5 % Glucose 0.5 Soybean powder (Essan Meat) 1.0 Sodium Chloride 0.1 Potassium Secondary Phosphate 0.1 Magnesium Sulfate (7H₂O) 0.1 Tap water pH 7.4 (before sterilized) Next, 5 liters of a production medium comprising the components mentioned below was put in each of three 10 liter jar fermenters and sterilized. Then 200 ml of the above-mentioned seed culture was added and inoculated to the said production medium. Production Medium: (w/v %) Soluble Starch 2.0 % Glucose 1.0 Soybean powder 3.0 Sodium Chloride 0.3 Potassium Secondary Phosphate 0.1 Magnesium Sulfate (7H₂O) 0.1 Yeast Extract 0.1 Mineral Mixture 0.1 (v/v %) Defoaming Agent (Adekanol LG109) 0.05 (v/v %) Tap water pH 7.0 (before sterilized) The incubation was conducted under the condition of aeration of 2.5 liters/min, stir of 300 rpm and temperature of 28 °C for 1 day. A methanol solution of a substrate anthracycline compound (D788-6 or D788-5, 5 mg/ml) was added to the culture medium in an amount of 50 ml/jar (which corresponds to 250 mg of each substrate), and the incubation was continued for further 3 days under the same condition. The culture was recovered and subjected to centrifugation to separate the bacteria from the supernatant liquid. 10 liters of acetone was added to the bacteria and stirred and extracted, and the acetone extract was isolated by filtration. This was concentrated under reduced pressure to about 4 liters, adjusted to have pH of 3.0 with phospheric acid, extracted with 2 liters of chloroform and washed. Next, the resulting extract was adjusted to have pH of 8.0 with 4N sodium hydroxide and again extracted with 5 liters (total amount) of chloroform. The chloroform extract was concentrated under reduced pressure to a small amount, and an excess amount of n-hexane was added thereto to form a precipitate. The precipitate thus formed was collected by filtration and dried in vacuum to obtain a crude extract of a product converted from the respective substracts in an amount of from 270 to 460 mg. EXAMPLE 2 275 g of the crude converted product powder obtained from the substrate D788-6 in Example 1 was subjected to sllicagel column chromatography (diameter 30 mm, Silicagel C-200, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Co., 63 g) whereupon the column content was developed with the solvents mentioned below in order to elute a fraction mainly comprising CG17A and a fraction mainly comprising CG17B. 1. Chloroform/methanol (20/1) 20ml 2. Chloroform/methanol/water (100/10/0.1) 200ml 3. Chloroform/methanol/water (70/10/0.1) 180ml Each of the both fractions was washed with water, concentrated to dryness and then purified by chromatography using a fractionating thin silicagel plate PF₂₅₄ (manufactured by Merck, 20 × 20 cm) and a solvent system of chloroform/methanol/water /acetic acid/concentrated aqueous ammonia (120/50/5/1/1). The red band separated, which corresponds to CG17A or CG17B, was collected, extracted with chloroform/methanol (5/1) and then washed with water. The solvent layer was concentrated to dryness. This was dissolved in 20 ml of 1/50 M acetic acid (pH 3.0) and extracted twice with 10 ml of solvent for washing. Then this was adjusted to have pH of 8.0 with 1N sodium hydroxide and extracted with 30 ml (total amount) of chloroform. The extract was washed with water, dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate and then concentrated. An excess amount of N-hexane was added thereto to form a precipitate, which was collected by filtration and dried in vacuum to obtain a pure CG17A powder or a pure CG17B powder. The yield of the pure CG17A powder was 12 mg and that of the pure CG17B powder was 34 mg. Physico-chemical Properties of CG17A : m. p. : 152 to 155 °C (decomposition) [α]²³ D : +400° (C=0.02, chloroform) Mass (SI-MS): m/e 672 (M+H)⁺ Ultraviolet and Visible Range Absorption Spectrum (λ 90% methanol max nm E 1% 1cm ): 204 (289), 235 (630), 254 (380) 294 (130), 493 (218), 527sh (146). IR Spectrum (v KBγ MAX cm ⁻¹): 3400, 2920, 1725, 1600, 1430, 1400, 1290, 1240, 1195, 1165, 1120, 1070, 1000. H-NMR Spectrum (CDCl₃) (δ ppm): 1.11 (t, 3H), 1.17 (d, 3H), 1.26 (d, 3H) 2.2 - 2.4 (-, 2H), 3.0 (m, 1H),m 3.51 (b, 1H), 3.62 (b, 1H), 3.71 (s, 3H), 4.12 (-, 1H), 4.20 (-, 1H), 4.29 (s, 1H), 4.86 (b, 1H), 5.23 (b, 1H), 5.48 (b, 1H), 7.25 (d, 1H), 7.69 (t, 1H), 7.09 (d, 1H). Physico-chemical Properties of CG17B : m. p. : 197 to 202 °C (decomposition) [α]²³ D : +67° (C=0.02, chloroform) Mass (SI-MS): m/e 688 (M+H)⁺ Ultraviolet and Visible Range Absorption Spectrum (λ 90% methanol max nm E 1% 1cm ): 204 (273), 235 (600), 254 (355) 294 (120), 493 (213), 526sh (137). IR Spectrum (v KBγ MAX cm ⁻¹): 3400, 2930, 1725, 1600, 1430, 1400, 1290, 1240, 1195, 1165, 1120, 1010, 990, 805. ¹H-NMR Spectrum (CDCl₃, δ ppm): 1.10 (t, 3H), 1.29 (d, 3H), 1.30 (d, 3H), 2.30 (b, 2H), 3.0 (m, 1H), 3.50 (b, 1H), 3.67 (b, 1H), 3.73 (s, 3H), 4.1 -(-, 1H), 4.2 (-, 2H), 4.30 (s, 1H), 4.95 (b, 1H), 5.22 (b, 1H), 5.47 (b, 1H), 7.27 (dd, 1H), 7.69 (t, 1H), 7.88 (dd, 1H). EXAMPLE 5 392 mg of the crude converted extract obtained from the substrate D788-5 in Example 1 was subjected to silicagel column chromatography (diameter 30 mm, Silicagel C-200, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Co., 40 g), whereupon the column content was developed with the solvents mentioned below in order to elute a partially purified fraction mainly comprising CG19A and a partial fraction mainly comprising CG19B. 1. Chloroform/methanol (20/l) 140 ml 2. Chloroform/methanol/water (100/10/0.1) 200 ml 3. Chloroform/methanol/water (70/10/0.1) 130 ml Then the fractions were processed in the same manner as in Example 2 for purification by thin layer chromatography and acid back-dissolution. Thus 27 mg of a pure powder of CG19A and 52 mg of a pure powder of CG19B were obtained. Physico-chemical Properties of CG19A : m. p. : 158 to 162 °C (decomposition) [α]²³ D = +116° (C=0.02, chloroform) Mass (SI-MS): m/e 686 (M+H)⁺ Ultraviolet and Visible Range Absorption Spectrum (λ 90% methanol max nm E 1% 1cm ): 204 (292), 234 (582), 252 (319) 289 (126), 479 (172), 494 (465). IR Spectrum (v KBγ MAX cm ⁻¹): 3400, 2920, 1725, 1615, 1580, 1440, 1400, 1280, 1235, 1205, 1195, 1120, 1000, 825 ¹H-NMR Spectrum (CDCl₃, δ ppm): 1.12 (t, 3H), 1.18 (d, 3H), 1.27 (b, 1H), 2.3 (b, 2H), 2.9 - 3.0 (m, 1H), 3.5 (b, 1H), 3.66 (b, 1H), 3.74 (s, 3H), 4.10 (s, 3H), 4.1 - 4.2 (-, 2H), 4.29 (s, 1H), 4.87 (b, 1H), 5.27 (b, 1H), 5.51 (b, 1H), 7.33 (d, 1H), 7.73 (t, 1H), 8.02 (d, 1H). Physico-chemical Properties of CG19B : m. p. : 200 to 204 °C (decomposition) [α]²³ D : +49° (C=0.02, chloroform) Mass (SI-MS): m/e 702 (M+H)⁺ Ultraviolet and Visible Range Absorption Spectrum (λ 90% methanol max nm E 1% 1cm ): 205 (292), 234 (591), 252 (324) 289 (124), 478 (175), 495 (169). IR Spectrum (v KBγ MAX cm ⁻¹): 3400, 2925, 1725, 1615, 1580, 1440, 1400, 1280, 1235, 1205, 1195, 1155, 990, 805 ¹H-NMR Spectrum (CDCl₃, δ ppm): 1.12 (t, 3H), 1.23 (d, 3H), 1.28 (d, 3H), 2.3 (b, 2H), 3.0 (m, 1H), 3.48 (b, 1H), 3.65 (b, 1H), 3.71 (s, 3H), 4.06 (s, 3H), 4.13 (-, 2H), 4.28 (s, 1H), 4.94 (b, 1H), 5.24 (b, 1H), 5.48 (b, 1H), 7.32 (d, 1H). 7.70 (t, 1H), 7.97 (d, 1H).

Claims: An anthracycline antibiotics of a formula (I): wherein R¹ is hydroxyl group, methoxy group, R² is hydroxyl group, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group, X is daunosamine-rhodinose or daunosamine-deoxyfucose, with the proviso that when R¹ and R² are hydroxyl groups, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group, then X represents daunosamine-rhodinose or daunosamine-deoxyfucose; ; or when R¹ is methoxy group, R² is hydroxyl group, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group, then X represents daunosamine-rhodinose or daunosamine-deoxyfucose; as well as pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof. A method for preparation of anthracycline antibiotics of a formula (I): in which R¹, R², R³, R⁴ and X have the same meanings as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that a compound of a formula (II): in which R¹ and R² are hydroxyl groups, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group and X' is daunosamine; or ; or R¹ is methoxy group, R² is hydroxyl group, R³ is ethyl group, R⁴ is methoxycarbonyl group and X' is daunosamine, is microbially treated. A carcinostatic containing at least one of anthracycline antibiotics of a formula (I): in which R¹, R², R³, R⁴ and X have the same meanings as set forth in claim 1.

Inventors: ISHIKURA TOMOYUKI, JODO OSAMU SANRAKU HODOGAYARYO, NAGANAWA HIROSHI, OKAMOTO ROKURO, SAWA TSUTOMU, TAKEUCHI TOMIO, WATANABE YOSHIO, YOSHIMOTO AKIHORO, ISHIKURA, TOMOYUKI, NAGANAWA, HIROSHI, OKAMOTO, ROKURO, SAWA, TSUTOMU, TAKEUCHI, TOMIO, WATANABE, YOSHIO, YOSHIMOTO, AKIHORO
Applicants: MERCIAN CORP, MERCIAN CORPORATION
Application year: 1988
Main classification: C07H15
IPC codes: C07H15