The antimicrobial properties of some alpha-amino-oxy-acids, alpha-amino-oxy-hydrazides, alkoxyamines, alkoxydiguanides and their derivatives.

A series of compounds containing an amino-oxy-group has been examined for antibacterial and antifungal activity. The amino-oxy-acids and the alkoxyamines showed little activity, but the hydrazides, notably the amino-oxydodecyl and the amino-oxytetradecyl compounds, had appreciable activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The alkoxydiguanides showed considerable bactericidal activity in vitro against Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms and some activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The most active compounds were those with a chain containing 10 to 14 carbon atoms, but the activity was considerably reduced in the presence of serum. They were also active against the few fungi tested. The most active compound, decyloxydiguanide, was moderately toxic when administered intraperitoneally to mice and no therapeutic activity could be demonstrated against an intraperitoneal injection of Streptococcus pyogenes administered 15 min. previously.