Ceramidastin, a novel bacterial ceramidase inhibitor, produced by Penicillium sp Mer-f17067

Decrease of ceramide in the skin is one of the aggravating factors of atopic dermatitis. The skin is often infected by ceramidase-producing bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The bacterial ceramidase then degrades ceramide in the skin. To develop anti-atopic dermatitis drugs, we searched for ceramidase inhibitors, which led to the discovery of ceramidastin, a novel inhibitor of bacterial ceramidase, from the culture broth of Penicillium sp. Mer-f17067. Ceramidastin inhibited the bacterial ceramidase with an IC50 value of 6.25 mu g ml(-1). Here we describe the isolation, physicochemical properties, structure determination and biological activity of ceramidastin.