Enniatin

Chemical structure of enniatin A

Enniatins are a class of organic chemical compounds found in Fusarium fungi. They appear in nature as mixtures of cyclic depsipeptides. The main variants are enniatin A, A1, B and B1 together with minor amounts of enniatin C, D, E and F.

The enniatins act as ionophores that bind ammonium,[1] and they have been proposed as replacements for nonactin in specific ammonium-based electrodes.

Enniatins have been also mentioned as potential anti-AIDS drugs.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Ovchinnikov, Yu. A.; Ivanov, V. T.; Evstratov, A. V.; Mikhaleva, I. I.; Bystrov, V. F.; Portnova, S. L.; Balashova, T. A.; Meshcheryakova, E. N.; Tul'chinskii, V. M. (1974). "Enniatin ionophores. Conformation and ion binding properties". International Journal of Peptide and Protein Research. 6 (6): 465–498. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3011.1974.tb02407.x. PMID 4455641.