Isolation and synthesis of caprolactins A and B, new caprolactams from a marine bacterium

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)81825-1

Two new caprolactams have been isolated from an unidentified Gram-positive bacterium obtained from a deep-ocean sediment sample. Caprolactins A (1) and B (2), which were obtained as an inseparable mixture, are composed of cyclic-L-lysine linked to 7-methyloctanoic acid and 6-methyloctanoic acid, respectively. The structures were proposed using spectroscopic methods and confirmed by synthesis. Both caprolactins A and B are cytotoxic towards human epidermoid carcinoma (KB) cells and human colorectal adenocarcinoma (LoVo) cells and exhibit antiviral activity towards Herpes simplex type II virus.