Nigericin

Nigericin is an antibiotic derived from Streptomyces hygroscopicus. Its isolation was described in the 1950s, and in 1968 the structure could be elucidated by X-ray crystallography. The structure and properties of nigericin are similar to the antibiotic monensin. Commercially it is obtained as a byproduct, or contaminant, at the fermentation of Geldanamycin. It is also called Polyetherin A, Azalomycin M, Helixin C, Antibiotic K178, Antibiotic X-464.

Contents

• How to pronounce nigericin
• Medical vocabulary what does nigericin mean
• References

Nigericin acts as an H⁺, K⁺, Pb²⁺ ionophore. Most commonly it is an antiporter of H⁺ and K⁺.

In the past nigericin was used as an antibiotic active against gram positive bacteria. It inhibits the Golgi functions in Eukaryotic cells.