Erythromycin and its derivatives

Robimycin), clarithromycin (Biaxin), azithromycin (Zithwmax), and oleandomycin (Matwmycin). Erythromycin and its derivatives (clarithromycin, azithromycin) are the only macrolides in common use, although the acetylated derivative of oleandomycin (troleandomycin, TAO) is available for oral use. 

Since erythromycin and its derivatives exhibit several activities including motilin-like activity and anti-inflammatory actions, we expected them to be useful for treatment of systemic inflammatory diseases including chronic lower and upper airway diseases, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, skin diseases of unknown origin, and autoimmune diseases. These inflammatory diseases are known to be associated with inflammatory cell activity. 

Kondo, Y, Torii, K., Omura, S., and Itoh, Z. (1988). Erythromycin and its derivatives with motilin-like biological activities inhibit the specific binding of 1251-motilin to duodenal muscle. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 150, 877-882. 

Sunazuka, T., Takizawa, H., Desaki, M., Suzuki, K., Obata, R., Otoguro, K., and Omura, S. (1999). Effects of erythromycin and its derivatives on interleukin-8 release by human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B cells. J. Antibiot. 52, 71-74. 

Erythromycin and its derivatives have been extensively studied by NMR. The H and C NMR spectra of erythromycin, measured in a range of solvents and by a variety of techniques, have been completely assigned [31-34]. The combination of NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography has been used for conformational analysis, which found good agreement... 

---