• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.158-162
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• 2006

Cyclic dipeptides isolated from Streptomyces sp. have been shown to have antimicrobial activity as well as other potentially useful biological activities. The purpose of this study was to compare the in vitro activity of two cyclic dipeptides combined against anaerobic bacteria with the activity of other antimicrobial agents. Specifically, the in vitro activity of the combination of two cyclic dipeptides was investigated against 140 clinical isolates of anaerobic bacteria by the agar dilution method and was compared with that of erythromycin, cefoxitin, imipenem, clindamycin, and metronidazole. The cyclic dipeptide combination and imipenem were the most active antimicrobial agents tested. In addition, the cyclic dipeptide combination had a radioprotective effect on five normal human lung fibroblast cells, showing survival rates higher $(>90\%)$ than either of the two cyclic dipeptides alone $(<80\%)$.