EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES ON GRAMICIDIN 1

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Abstract
The bactericidal effect of tyrothricin, tyrocidine, and gramicidin was studied by using the tissue-culture technique, in expts. involving Diplococcus pneumoniae Types I, III and XIX, 5 strains of Group A Lancefield-hemolytic streptococcus, Streptococcus viridans (group), S. jaecalis, and Staphylo-coccus aureus. Gramicidin was more effective than tyrodicine against most of the gram-positive bacteria studied. Tyrothricin has a powerful hemolytic action on erythrocytes in vitro. The hemolytic effect of tyrothricin is due to the presence of gramicidin. When tyrothricin or gramicidin is heated in an aqueous suspension there is loss of hemolytic and bactericidal activity. Tyrocidine does not appear to be very hemolytic. Neither gramicidin nor tyrocidin appears to produce any marked toxic effect upon the leukocytic elements of the human-blood in amts. up to 100 y per ccm. over a period of 8 hrs. Tyrothricin has been used locally in 12 cases of various types of infections in which gram-positive bacteria were present. Marked beneficial effect was noted in most cases in which the substance was used. No demonstrable damaging effects have been rioted on the tissues. The healing of wounds was considerably benefited in some instances. No evidence of toxicity was observed following the use of the substance in the manner described. The hemolytic effect of gramicidin is great enough in the presence of constituents of the blood to render inadvisable the clinical use of this substance in any way except locally or perhaps to irrigate infected cavities which do not communicate with the blood stream.

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