Himastatin, a new antitumor antibiotic from Streptomyces hygroscopicus. I. Taxonomy of producing organism, fermentation and biological activity.

Strain C39108-P210-51 (ATCC 53653), an actinomycete isolated from a soil sample collected in India, was found to produce a new antitumor antibiotic, designated himastatin. Taxonomic studies on its morphological, cultural and physiological characteristics identified this producing strain as Streptomyces hygroscopicus C39108-P210-51. Himastatin shows antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria but it is inactive against Gram-negative bacteria. Himastatin prolongs the life span of mice inoculated with P388 leukemia and B16 melanoma cells.