Nigericin is an antibiotic derived from Streptomyces hygroscopicus.

[3] The structure and properties of nigericin are similar to the antibiotic monensin.

Commercially it is obtained as a byproduct, or contaminant, at the fermentation of geldanamycin.

In the past nigericin was used as an antibiotic active against gram positive bacteria.

Its ability to induce K+ efflux also makes it a potent activator of the NLRP3 inflammasome[4][5]