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A Gift of Boranes and Poverty

It is something amazing to realize that boromycin, an antibiotic now relied upon to combat the so-called "Superbugs" had it roots from the poverty of the father of boron studies (organoboron chemistry).

In a previous article, we mentioned boromycin as an antibiotic effective against most Gram-positive bacteria. It is however ineffective against Gram-negative bacteria, where most of many super bugs belong.

Boromycin was noted as the first natural product found to contain boron. Boron is not abundant in nature, be it in the solar system or the Earth’s crust. It occurs as borate minerals, from where it is evaporated as borax or kernite.

First isolation of boromycin came from Streptomyces antibioticus, a bacterial strain discovered in 1890. From these bacteria another antibiotic known as Actinomycin also came from. (G. H. Jones: Journal of Bacteriology, Dec 1987)

Also known as N-formulboromycin, the antibiotic is a D-valine ester of boric acid, wrote J. D. Dunitz in a report published in Helvetica Chimica Acta in 1971. Valine is an essential amino acid found in animal and plant proteins. When boric acid reacts with an alcoholic compound, it results to an ester, which is boromycin.

As early as 1996, researchers have explored the potent activity of boromycin against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It stops the multiplication (replication) of HIV-1 strain obtained from HIV patients. Researchers knew it interfered with the later stage of HIV infection. But they had no idea, which step in the replication process. The journal Bioscience, Biotechnology & Biochemistry published the Kohno (Japan) their findings.

Boromycin belongs to a class of antibiotics where Erythromycin belongs. As a group, these antibiotics are used to treat infections that Gram-positive bacteria, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumonia) and Haemophilus influenzae (flu), cause. Since their spectrum of activity is wider than that of penicillin, they can be substitutes in cases involving penicillin allergy.

Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1979) laureate Herbert Charles Brown recounted the gift poverty brought to his career and his award-winning work on organoboranes, which gave birth to a branch of organic chemistry called Organoboron Chemistry: “Why did I decide to undertake my doctorate research in the exotic field of boron hydrides? As it happened, my girlfriend, Sarah Baylen, soon to become my wife, presented me with a graduation gift, Alfred Stock’s book The Hydrides of Boron and Silicon. I read this book and became interested in the subject. This was the time of the Depression. None of us had much money. It appears she selected as her gift the most economical chemistry book ($2.06) available in the University of Chicago bookstore. Such are the developments that can shape a career” (“Little Acorns to Tall Oaks: From Boranes through Organoboranes,” Nobel Lectures-Chemistry: 1971-1980).


This article appeared in SunStar Cebu on 22 June 2011.
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