Bicyclohexylammonium fumagillin

Bicyclohexylammonium fumagillin (commonly known as Fumagillin dicyclohexylamine or by its brand name Fumidil B) is a water-soluble salt formulation of the antibiotic fumagillin. 

The primary function of this compound is to act as a potent antimicrobial and antiparasitic agent, most notably used in veterinary medicine to prevent and treat Nosema disease (nosemosis) in honeybees. 

• Targeting Nosema Disease: It is highly effective against Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, microscopic single-celled microsporidian parasites that infect the midgut of honeybees.
• Mechanism in Bees: When mixed into sugar syrup and fed to bees, it targets and inhibits the multiplying, reproductive stages of the parasite within the bee's digestive tract, preventing them from destroying epithelial cells. It does not kill dormant spores, so it must be applied continuously over a few weeks (usually during spring and autumn).
• Benefits to Colonies: Treatment drastically reduces spore counts, which improves over-winter colony survival, boosts spring population buildup, and increases overoll honey production.

• Treating Fish Infections: It is approved in certain regions to treat microsporidian and myxozoan parasitic infections in various fish species. It controls infections such as kidney disease in carp, and specific parasitic ailments in eels and trout.

• MetAP-2 Inhibition: At the molecular level, fumagillin functions by forming a covalent bond with and inhibiting Type-2 Methionine AminoPeptidase (MetAP-2).
• Downstream Effects: MetAP-2 is a critical enzyme responsible for removing the initial methionine from newly synthesized proteins. Blocking this enzyme disrupts protein modification, blocks parasite RNA synthesis, and halts cellular replication.

• Microsporidiosis Treatment: In human medicine, oral or topical fumagillin is sometimes used to treat severe intestinal microsporidiosis (causing chronic diarrhea) or microsporidial eye infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals such as AIDS patients.
• Angiogenesis Inhibitor: Because MetAP-2 inhibition strongly blocks the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis), fumagillin and its synthetic derivatives have been heavily researched as potential anti-cancer agents to starve growing tumors of their blood supply.