Rhizoxin is biosynthesised by Paraburkholderia rhizoxinica, a bacterial endosymbiont of the fungus Rhizopus microsporus.[3] It is one of a large group of rhizoxin-like compounds produced by the bacteria.[4] The bacterial endosymbiont can be grown independently in culture. This may allow easy harvesting of rhizoxin and the related compounds avoiding total chemical synthesis, although total chemical synthesis is possible.[5]
Rhizoxin has undergone clinical trials as an anti-cancer drug[7] although it did not reach later stages of clinical trials due to low activity in vivo. Related compounds to rhizoxin have improved biological activity (E.G Mertansine) .[4]
^Tsuruo T, Oh-hara T, Iida H, Tsukagoshi S, Sato Z, Matsuda I, et al. (January 1986). "Rhizoxin, a macrocyclic lactone antibiotic, as a new antitumor agent against human and murine tumor cells and their vincristine-resistant sublines". Cancer Research. 46 (1): 381–385. PMID3753552.
^Ikubo S, Takigawa N, Ueoka H, Kiura K, Tabata M, Shibayama T, et al. (1999). "In vitro evaluation of antimicrotubule agents in human small-cell lung cancer cell lines". Anticancer Research. 19 (5B): 3985–8. PMID10628341.
^ abScherlach K, Partida-Martinez LP, Dahse HM, Hertweck C (September 2006). "Antimitotic rhizoxin derivatives from a cultured bacterial endosymbiont of the rice pathogenic fungus Rhizopus microsporus". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 128 (35): 11529–36. doi:10.1021/ja062953o. PMID16939276.
^Mitchell, I.S.; et al. (2005). "A total synthesis of the antitumour macrolide rhizoxin D". Org. Biomol. Chem. 3 (24): 4412–31. doi:10.1039/b507570j. PMID16327903.
