Ansamycins

Ansamycins are a family of secondary metabolites that show efficacy against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as well as bacteriophages and some poxviruses. Ansaymcyins are comprised of an aromatic moiety bridged by an aliphatic chain. The aromatic moiety can vary from one chemical to another and include naphthalene rings, naphthoquinone rings, benzene rings or benzoquinone rings, which can be found in geldanamycins. Naphthoquinone ansamycins have shown high potency against diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy and AIDS-related mycobacterial infections.