Polyoxo-macrolide

Macrolide antibiotics are glycosides with a macrocyclic lactone aglycon, which is formed in the polyketide biosynthetic pathway [38,39]. The lactone ring is 12-, 14-, 16-, or 18-mem-bered. The polyoxo-macrolides such as the classical antibiotic erythromycin are produced by streptomyces microorganisms and form a clinically important group of polyketide antibiotics. Erythromycin (O Fig. 5) is the major component out of a mixture of macrolide antibiotics which is formed by Saccharopolyspora erythraea. It contains two deoxysugars attached to the aglycon, L-cladinose and D-desosamine. 

Large family of natural macrolactones commonly referred to as macrolides can be grouped into polyoxo macrolides, polyene macrolides, ionophoric macrohdes, and ansamycin macrohdes. 

These compounds are identified by having a medium to large macroUde or macrolactam handle fused to a mono- or bicychc aromatic core [25]. Although macrolactams do not belong to the macrolides in the correct sense, they are included here because of the close similarity of the aliphatic chain in structure and stereochemistry to that of the polyoxo macrolides. Most prominent representatives are... 

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