Optimal Conditions for the Production of Sphimin, a Sphingomyelinase Inhibitor from Steptomyces sp. F50970

We isolated a sphingonyelinase (SMase) inhibitor, which would be a potential reagent to regulate cell proliferation, oncogenesis, and inflammation, from a strain of Streptomyces sp.. In this paper, we report the optimal conditions for the production of SMase inhibitor, designed as sphinin, from Streptomyces sp. F50970. The optimal carbon and nitrogen source were 1% soluble starch and 0.05%-0.15% trypton. Most of monosaccharides and high concentration of soluble starch above 1.0% caused falling of pH and sphinin production. Zn2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, and Co2+inhibited cell growth and the production of sphinin. Inorganic phosphate promoted the sphinin production. Optimal initial pH for the production of sphinin was 7.5-8.0. Addition of CaCO3 to the medium resulted in an increase of inhibitor production. Based on these results, we designed a fermentation medium for the production of a SMase inhibitor, sphinin, from Streptomyces sp. F50970.