Alkaloids from the Sponge-Associated FungusAspergillussp

Antibacterial insights into alternariol and its derivative alternariol monomethyl ether produced by a marine fungus

Alternaria alternata FB1 is a marine fungus identified as a candidate for plastic degradation in our previous study. This fungus has been recently shown to produce secondary metabolites with significant antimicrobial activity against various pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the notorious aquaculture pathogen Vibrio anguillarum. The antibacterial compounds were purified and identified as alternariol (AOH) and its derivative, alternariol monomethyl ether (AME). We found that AOH and AME primarily inhibited pathogenic bacteria (MRSA or V. anguillarum) by disordering cell division and some other key physiological and biochemical processes. We further demonstrated that AOH could effectively inhibit the unwinding activity of MRSA topoisomerases, which are closely related to cell division and are the potential action target of AOH. The antibacterial activities of AOH and AME were verified by using zebrafish as the in vivo model. Notably, AOH and AME did not significantly affect the viability of normal human liver cells at concentrations that effectively inhibited MRSA or V. anguillarum. Finally, we developed the genetic operation system of A. alternata FB1 and blocked the biosynthesis of AME by knocking out omtI (encoding an O-methyl transferase), which facilitated A. alternata FB1 to only produce AOH. The development of this system in the marine fungus will accelerate the discovery of novel natural products and further bioactivity study.IMPORTANCEMore and more scientific reports indicate that alternariol (AOH) and its derivative alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) exhibit antibacterial activities. However, limited exploration of their detailed antibacterial mechanisms has been performed. In the present study, the antibacterial mechanisms of AOH and AME produced by the marine fungus Alternaria alternata FB1 were disclosed in vitro and in vivo. Given their low toxicity on the normal human liver cell line under the concentrations exhibiting significant antibacterial activity against different pathogens, AOH and AME are proposed to be good candidates for developing promising antibiotics against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio anguillarum. We also succeeded in blocking the biosynthesis of AME, which facilitated us to easily obtain pure AOH. Moreover, based on our previous results, A. alternata FB1 was shown to enable polyethylene degradation.

The potential of marine-derived piperazine alkaloids: Sources, structures and bioactivities

Marine-derived piperazine alkaloids (MDPAs) constitute a significant group of natural compounds known for their diverse structures and biological activities. Over the past five decades, substantial efforts have been devoted to isolating these alkaloids from marine sources and characterizing their chemical and bioactive profiles. To date, a total of 922 marine-derived piperazine alkaloids have been reported from various marine organisms. These compounds demonstrate a wide range of pharmacological properties, including cytotoxicity, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and various other activities. Notably, among these activities, cytotoxicity emerges as the most prominent characteristic of marine-derived piperazine alkaloids. This review also summarizes the structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies associated with the cytotoxicity of these compounds. In summary, our objective is to provide an overview of the research progress concerning marine-derived piperazine alkaloids, with the aim of fostering their continued development and utilization.

2,5-Diketopiperazines (DKPs): Promising Scaffolds for Anticancer Agents

2,5-Diketopiperazine (2,5-DKP) derivatives represent a family of secondary metabolites widely produced by bacteria, fungi, plants, animals, and marine organisms. Many natural products with DKP scaffolds exhibited various pharmacological activities such as antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, and antitumor. 2,5-DKPs are recognized as privileged structures in medicinal chemistry, and compounds that incorporate the 2,5-DKP scaffold have been extensively investigated for their anticancer properties. This review is a thorough update on the anti-cancer activity of natural and synthesized 2,5-DKPs from 1997 to 2022. We have explored various aspects of 2,5-DKPs modifications and summarized their structure-activity relationships (SARs) to gain insight into their anticancer activities. We have also highlighted the novel approaches to enhance the specificity and pharmacokinetics of 2,5-DKP-based anticancer agents.

Indoloquinazoline alkaloids suppress angiogenesis and inhibit metastasis of melanoma cells

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, targeting angiogenesis emerges as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of melanoma metastasis. Discovery of new antiangiogenic compounds with specific mechanism of action is still desired. In present study, a bioassay-guidance uncovers the EtOAc extract of a marine-derived fungus Aspergillus clavutus LZD32-24 with significant inhibitory activity against the angiogenesis in Tg (fli1a: EGFP) zebrafish model. Extensive chromatographic fractionation led to the isolation of 48 indoloquinazoline alkaloids, including 21 new analogues namely clavutoines A-U (1-21). Their structures were determined by the spectroscopic data, including the ECD, single crystal X-ray diffraction and quantum chemical calculation for the configurational assignments. Among the bioactive analogues, quinadoline B (QB) showed the most efficacy to suppress the zebrafish vascular outgrowth in zebrafish embryos. QB markedly inhibited the migration, invasion and tube formation with weak cytotoxicity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Investigation of the mode of action revealed QB suppressed the ROCK/MYPT1/MLC2/coffin and FAK /Src signaling pathways, and subsequently disrupted actin cytoskeletal organization. In addition, QB reduced the number of new vessels sprouting from the ex vivo chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), and inhibited the metastasis of B16F10 melanoma cells in lung of C57BL/6 mice through suppressing angiogenesis. These findings suggest that QB is a potential lead for the development of new antiangiogenic agent to inhibit melanoma metastasis.

Citriquinolinones A and B: Rare Isoquinolinone-Embedded Citrinin Analogues and Related Metabolites from the Deep-Sea-Derived Aspergillus versicolor 170217

A systematic chemical investigation of the deep-sea-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor 170217 resulted in the isolation of six new (1-6) and 45 known (7-51) compounds. The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of exhaustive analysis of their spectroscopic data and theoretical-statistical approaches including GIAO-NMR, TDDFT-ECD/ORD calculations, DP4+ probability analysis, and biogenetic consideration. Citriquinolinones A (1) and B (2) feature a unique isoquinolinone-embedded citrinin scaffold, representing the first exemplars of a citrinin-isoquinolinone hybrid. Dicitrinones K-L (3-4) are two new dimeric citrinin analogues with a rare CH-CH3 bridge. Biologically, frangula-emodin (32) and diorcinol (17) displayed remarkable anti-food allergic activity with IC50 values of 7.9 ± 3.0 μM and 13.4 ± 1.2 μM, respectively, while diorcinol (17) and penicitrinol A (20) exhibited weak inhibitory activity against Vibrio parahemolyticus, with MIC values ranging from 128 to 256 μM.

Soybean-associated endophytic fungi as potential source for anti-COVID-19 metabolites supported by docking analysis

AIMS

To identify the metabolites produced by the endophytic fungus, Aspergillus terreus and to explore the anti-viral activity of the identified metabolites against the pandemic disease COVID-19 in-silico.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Herein, we reported the isolation of A. terreus, the endophytic fungus associated with soybean roots, which is then subcultured using OSMAC approach in five different culture media. Analytical analysis of media ethylacetate extracts using liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) was carried out. Furthermore, the obtained LC-MS data were statistically processed with MetaboAnalyst 4.0. Molecular docking studies were performed for the dereplicated metabolites against COVID-19 main protease (Mpro ). Metabolomic profiling revealed the presence of 18 compounds belonging to different chemical classes. Quinones, polyketides and isocoumarins were the most abundant classes. Multivariate analysis revealed that potato dextrose broth and modified potato dextrose broth are the optimal media for metabolites production. Molecular docking studies declared that the metabolites, Aspergillide B1 and 3a-Hydroxy-3, 5-dihydromonacolin L showed the highest binding energy scores towards COVID-19 main protease (Mpro ) (-9·473) and (-9·386), respectively, and they interact strongly with the catalytic dyad (His41 and Cys145) amino acid residues of Mpro .

CONCLUSIONS

A combination of metabolomics and in-silico approaches have allowed a shorter route to search for anti-COVID-19 natural products in a shorter time. The dereplicated metabolites, aspergillide B1 and 3α-Hydroxy-3, 5-dihydromonacolin L were found to be potent anti-COVID-19 drug candidates in the molecular docking study.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study revealed that the endophytic fungus, A. terreus can be considered as a potential source of natural bioactive products. In addition to, the possibility of developing the metabolites, aspergillide B1 and 3α-Hydroxy-3, 5-dihydromonacolin L to be used as phytopharmaceuticals for the management of COVID-19.

Marine Sponge-Associated Fungi as Potential Novel Bioactive Natural Product Sources for Drug Discovery: A Review

Marine sponge-associated fungi are promising sources of structurally interesting and bioactive secondary metabolites. Great plenty of natural products have been discovered from spongeassociated fungi in recent years. Here reviewed are 571 new compounds isolated from marine fungi associated with sponges in 2010-2018. These molecules comprised eight different structural classes, including alkaloids, polyketides, terpenoids, meroterpenoids, etc. Moreover, most of these compounds demonstrated profoundly biological activities, such as antimicrobial, antiviral, cytotoxic, etc. This review systematically summarized the structural diversity, biological function, and future potential of these novel bioactive natural products for drug discovery.

Chemical Elicitors Induce Rare Bioactive Secondary Metabolites in Deep-Sea Bacteria under Laboratory Conditions

Bacterial genome sequencing has revealed a vast number of novel biosynthetic gene clusters (BGC) with potential to produce bioactive natural products. However, the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites by bacteria is often silenced under laboratory conditions, limiting the controlled expression of natural products. Here we describe an integrated methodology for the construction and screening of an elicited and pre-fractionated library of marine bacteria. In this pilot study, chemical elicitors were evaluated to mimic the natural environment and to induce the expression of cryptic BGCs in deep-sea bacteria. By integrating high-resolution untargeted metabolomics with cheminformatics analyses, it was possible to visualize, mine, identify and map the chemical and biological space of the elicited bacterial metabolites. The results show that elicited bacterial metabolites correspond to ~45% of the compounds produced under laboratory conditions. In addition, the elicited chemical space is novel (~70% of the elicited compounds) or concentrated in the chemical space of drugs. Fractionation of the crude extracts further evidenced minor compounds (~90% of the collection) and the detection of biological activity. This pilot work pinpoints strategies for constructing and evaluating chemically diverse bacterial natural product libraries towards the identification of novel bacterial metabolites in natural product-based drug discovery pipelines.

Tryptoquivalines W and X, two new compounds from a Hawaiian fungal strain and their biological activities

Two new compounds tryptoquivalines W (1) and X (2) were isolated from a Hawaiian soil fungal strain Aspergillus terreus FS107. The soil sample was collected on the top of Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in Hawaii. The structures of compounds 1 and 2 were determined on the basis of MS spectroscopic and NMR analysis, and NMR calculation. The absolute configuration (AC) was determined by ECD calculations. Compounds 4 and 5 showed inhibition against NF-κB with IC50 values of 3.45 and 6.76 μM, respectively.

New Dihydroisocoumarin Root Growth Inhibitors From the Sponge-Derived Fungus Aspergillus sp. NBUF87

Six new dihydroisocoumarins, aspergimarins A-F (1-6), were discovered together with five known analogs (7-11) from a monoculture of the sponge-derived fungus Aspergillus sp. NBUF87. The structures of these compounds were elucidated through comprehensive spectroscopic methods, and absolute configurations were assigned after X-ray crystallography, use of the modified Mosher's method, and comparison of electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data with literature values for previously reported analogs. Compounds 1-11 were evaluated in a variety of bioassays, and at 100 μM, both 1 and 5 showed significant inhibitory effects on the lateral root growth of Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia-0 (Col-0). Moreover, at 100 μM, 5 also possessed notable inhibition against the primary root growth of Col-0. Meanwhile, 1-11 were all found to be inactive in vitro against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) (IC50 > 100 μM), four different types of human-derived cancer cell lines (IC50 > 50 μM), as well as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (MIC > 50 μg/mL), and Plasmodium falciparum W2 (EC50 > 100 μg/mL), in phenotypic tests.

A newly designed heterodiene and its application to construct six-membered heterocycles containing an N-O bond

A new type of zwitterionic nitrosoalkene generated in situ from dehydrohalogenation of α-halo-N-alkylhydroxamic acids was designed. [4+2] cycloadditions of this heterodiene to olefins provide a facile route to construct six-membered heterocycles containing an N-O bond and a new protocol for 1,2-syn carbohydroxylate alkenes with a hydroxyl and acetamide group. DFT calculations support a concerted cycloaddition pathway and the solvent HFIP can stabilize the transition state through H-bonding interaction.

Dithiodiketopiperazine derivatives from endophytic fungi Trichoderma harzianum and Epicoccum nigrum

A new epidithiodiketopiperazine (ETP), pretrichodermamide G (1), along with three known (epi)dithiodiketopiparazines (2-4) were isolated from cultures of Trichoderma harzianum and Epicoccum nigrum, endophytic fungi associated with medicinal plants Zingiber officinale and Salix sp., respectively. The structure of the new compound (1) was established on the basis of spectroscopic data, including 1D/2D NMR and HRESIMS. The isolated compounds were investigated for their antifungal, antibacterial and cytotoxic potential against a panel of microorganisms and cell lines. Pretrichodermamide A (2) displayed antimicrobial activity towards the plant pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis and the human pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis with MIC values of 1 mg/mL (2 mM) and 25 µg/mL (50 µM), respectively. Meanwhile, epicorazine A (3) exhibited strong to moderate cytotoxicity against L5178Y, Ramos, and Jurkat J16 cell lines with IC₅₀ values ranging from 1.3 to 28 µM. Further mechanistic studies indicated that 3 induces apoptotic cell death.

Synthesis of New Proteomimetic Quinazolinone Alkaloids and Evaluation of Their Neuroprotective and Antitumor Effects

New quinazolinone derivatives of the marine-derived alkaloids fiscalin B (3) and fumiquinazoline G (1), with neuroprotective and antitumor effects, were synthesized. Eleven quinazolinone-containing indole alkaloids were synthesized, proceeding the anti analogs via a one-pot method, and the syn analogs by the Mazurkiewicz-Ganesan approach. The neuroprotection capacity of these compounds on the rotenone-damage human neuroblastoma cell SH-SY5y was evaluated using the MTT assay. Compounds 1, 3, 5, and 7 showed more than 25% protection. The antitumor activity was investigated using the sulforhodamine B assay and some compounds were tested on the non-malignant MCF-12A cells. Fumiquinazoline G (1) was the most potent compound, with GI₅₀ values lower than 20 µM. Compounds 5, 7, and 11 were more active in all tumor cell lines when compared to their enantiomers. Compounds 5, 7, 10, and 11 had very little effect in the viability of the non-malignant cells. Differences between enantiomeric pairs were also noted as being essential for these activities the S-configuration at C-4. These results reinforce the previously described activities of the fiscalin B (3) as substance P inhibitor and fumiquinazoline G (1) as antitumor agent showing potential as lead compounds for the development of drugs for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and cancer, respectively.

Chemistry of the fumiquinazolines and structurally related alkaloids

This review covers the isolation, structure elucidation, biological activities, biosynthetic pathways, and synthetic studies of the 77 fumiquinazolines and structurally related alkaloids described up to 2018.

Pd-Catalyzed carboannulation of γ,δ-alkenyl oximes: efficient access to 5-membered cyclic nitrones and dihydroazines

The Pd⁰-catalyzed carboannulation of γ,δ-alkenyl oximes with organohalides offers catalyst-controlled access to 5-membered cyclic nitrones or 6-membered cyclic oxime ethers.

Bioactive Novel Indole Alkaloids and Steroids from Deep Sea-Derived Fungus Aspergillus fumigatus SCSIO 41012

Two new alkaloids, fumigatosides E (1) and F (2), and a new natural product, 3, 7-diketo-cephalosporin P₁ (6) along with five known compounds (3–5, 7, 8) were isolated from deep-sea derived fungal Aspergillus fumigatus SCSIO 41012. Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic data analysis, including 1D, 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS), and comparison between the calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. In addition, all compounds were tested for antibacterial and antifungal inhibitory activities. Compound 1 showed significant antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. momordicae with MIC at 1.56 µg/mL. Compound 4 exhibited significant higher activity against S. aureus (16,339 and 29,213) with MIC values of 1.56 and 0.78 µg/mL, respectively, and compound 2 exhibited significant activity against A. baumanii ATCC 19606 with a MIC value of 6.25 µg/mL.

Antitumor Activity of Quinazolinone Alkaloids Inspired by Marine Natural Products

Many fungal quinazolinone metabolites, which contain the methyl-indole pyrazino [1,2-b]quinazoline-3,6-dione core, have been found to possess promising antitumor activity. The purpose of this work was to synthesize the enantiomeric pairs of two members of this quinazolinone family, to explore their potential as antitumor and their ability to revert multidrug resistance. The marine natural product fiscalin B (4c), and antienantiomers (4b, 5b, and 5c) were synthesized via a one-pot approach, while the syn enantiomers (4a, 4d, 5a, and 5d) were synthetized by a multi-step procedure. These strategies used anthranilic acid (i), chiral N-protected α-amino acids (ii), and tryptophan methyl esters (iii) to form the core ring of pyrazino[2,1-b]quinazoline-3,6-dione scaffold. Four enantiomeric pairs, with different enantiomeric purities, were obtained with overall yields ranging from 7 to 40%. Compounds 4a–d and 5a–d were evaluated for their growth inhibitory effect against two tumor cell lines. Differences between enantiomeric pairs were noted and 5a–d displayed GI₅₀ values ranging from 31 to 52 μM, which are lower than those of 4a–d. Nevertheless, no effect on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) modulation was observed for all compounds. This study disclosed new data for fiscalin B (4c), as well as for its analogues for a future development of novel anticancer drug leads.

Biologically active quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids part II

To follow-up on our prior Part I review, this Part II review summarizes and provides updated literature on novel quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids isolated during the period of 2009-2016, together with the biological activity and the mechanisms of action of these classes of natural products. Over 200 molecules with a broad range of biological activities, including antitumor, antiparasitic and insecticidal, antibacterial and antifungal, cardioprotective, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-asthma, antitussive, and other activities, are discussed. This survey should provide new clues or possibilities for the discovery of new and better drugs from the original naturally occurring quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids.

Versiquinazolines L–Q, new polycyclic alkaloids from the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor

Further chemical examination of a coral-associated fungus Aspergillus versicolor LZD-14-1 by the PHLC-DAD detection resulted in the isolation of six new polycyclic alkaloids, namely versiquinazolines L–Q (1–6).

Versiquinazolines A-K, Fumiquinazoline-Type Alkaloids from the Gorgonian-Derived Fungus Aspergillus versicolor LZD-14-1

Eleven fumiquinazoline-type alkaloids, namely, versiquinazolines A-K (1-11), along with cottoquinazolines B-D, were isolated from the gorgonian-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor LZD-14-1. Their structures were determined by extensive analyses of the spectroscopic data (1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS), in addition to the experimental and calculated ECD data and X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis for the assignments of the absolute configurations. Versiquinazolines A, B, and F (1, 2, and 6), bearing a methanediamine or an aminomethanol unit and representing a unique subtype of fumiquinazolines, were found from nature for the first time. Possible biogenetic relationships of the versiquinazolines are postulated. In addition, the structures of cottoquinazolines B (12), D (13), and C (14) should be revised to the enantiomers. Compounds 1, 2, 7, and 11 exhibited inhibitory activities against thioredoxin reductase (IC₅₀ values ranging from 12 to 20 μM).

Pretrichodermamides D-F from a Marine Algicolous Fungus Penicillium sp. KMM 4672

Three new epidithiodiketopiperazines pretrichodermamides D–F (1–3), together with the known N-methylpretrichodermamide B (4) and pretrichodermamide С (5), were isolated from the lipophilic extract of the marine algae-derived fungus Penicillium sp. KMM 4672. The structures of compounds 1–5 were determined based on spectroscopic methods. The absolute configuration of pretrichodermamide D (1) was established by a combination of modified Mosher′s method, NOESY data, and biogenetic considerations. N-Methylpretrichodermamide B (5) showed strong cytotoxicity against 22Rv1 human prostate cancer cells resistant to androgen receptor targeted therapies.

Marine natural products

This review covers the literature published in 2013 for marine natural products (MNPs), with 982 citations (644 for the period January to December 2013) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green, brown and red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, mangroves and other intertidal plants and microorganisms. The emphasis is on new compounds (1163 for 2013), together with the relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Reviews, biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that lead to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included.

Marine Indole Alkaloids

Marine indole alkaloids comprise a large and steadily growing group of secondary metabolites. Their diverse biological activities make many compounds of this class attractive starting points for pharmaceutical development. Several marine-derived indoles were found to possess cytotoxic, antineoplastic, antibacterial and antimicrobial activities, in addition to the action on human enzymes and receptors. The newly isolated indole alkaloids of marine origin since the last comprehensive review in 2003 are reported, and biological aspects will be discussed.

Concise Total Synthesis of Trichodermamides A, B, and C Enabled by an Efficient Construction of the 1,2-Oxazadecaline Core

We report herein a facile and efficient method of the construction of the cis-1,2-oxazadecaline system, distinctive of (pre)trichodermamides, aspergillazine A, gliovirin, and FA-2097. The formation of the 1,2-oxazadecaline core was accomplished by a 1,2-addition of an αC-lithiated O-silyl ethyl pyruvate oxime to benzoquinone, which is followed by an oxa-Michael ring-closure. The method was successfully applied to the concise total synthesis of trichodermamide A (in gram quantities) and trichodermamide B, as well as the first synthesis of trichodermamide C.

Alkaloidal metabolites from a marine-derived Aspergillus sp. fungus

Fumiquinazoline S (1), a new quinazoline-containing alkaloid, and the known fumiquinazolines F (6) and L (7) of the same structural class were isolated from the solid-substrate culture of an Aspergillus sp. fungus collected from marine-submerged wood. In addition, isochaetominines A-C (2-4) and 14-epi-isochaetominine C (5), new alkaloids possessing an unusual amino acid-based tetracyclic core framework related to the fumiquinazolines, were isolated from the same fungal strain. The structures of these compounds were determined by combined spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configurations were assigned by NOESY, ROESY, and advanced Marfey's analyses along with biogenetic considerations. The new compounds exhibited weak inhibition against Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase.

Penicitols A-C and penixanacid A from the mangrove-derived Penicillium chrysogenum HDN11-24

Three new citrinin analogues, penicitols A-C (1-3), and one new xanthone derivative, penixanacid A (4), together with four known biogenetically related compounds (5-8), were discovered from the extract of a mangrove-derived fungus, Penicillium chrysogenum HND11-24. The structures of penicitols A-C and penixanacid A were established through analysis of extensive spectroscopic data. Their cytotoxic activity against HeLa, BEL-7402, HEK-293, HCT-116, and A549 cell lines was evaluated.

Simple indole alkaloids and those with a nonrearranged monoterpenoid unit

This review summarizes the isolation, structure determination, total syntheses and biological activities of simple indole alkaloids and those with a nonrearranged monoterpenoid unit, with literature coverage from 2012 to 2013.

Co-cultivation--a powerful emerging tool for enhancing the chemical diversity of microorganisms

Marine-derived bacteria and fungi are promising sources of novel bioactive compounds that are important for drug discovery programs. However, as encountered in terrestrial microorganisms there is a high rate of redundancy that results in the frequent re-discovery of known compounds. Apparently only a part of the biosynthetic genes that are harbored by fungi and bacteria are transcribed under routine laboratory conditions which involve cultivation of axenic microbial strains. Many biosynthetic genes remain silent and are not expressed in vitro thereby seriously limiting the chemical diversity of microbial compounds that can be obtained through fermentation. In contrast to this, co-cultivation (also called mixed fermentation) of two or more different microorganisms tries to mimic the ecological situation where microorganisms always co-exist within complex microbial communities. The competition or antagonism experienced during co-cultivation is shown to lead to a significantly enhanced production of constitutively present compounds and/or to an accumulation of cryptic compounds that are not detected in axenic cultures of the producing strain. This review highlights the power of co-cultivation for increasing the chemical diversity of bacteria and fungi drawing on published studies from the marine and from the terrestrial habitat alike.

Chartarlactams A-P, phenylspirodrimanes from the sponge-associated fungus Stachybotrys chartarum with antihyperlipidemic activities

Chemical examination of the solid culture of the endophytic fungus Stachybotrys chartarum isolated from the sponge Niphates recondita resulted in the isolation of 16 new phenylspirodrimanes, named chartarlactams A-P (1-16), together with eight known analogues. Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including X-ray single-crystal diffraction for the determination of the absolute configurations. The isoindolone-drimane dimer chartarlactam L (12) was determined as a new skeleton. Compounds 1-6 and 8-24 were evaluated for antihyperlipidemic effects in HepG2 cells, and the primary structure-activity relationships are discussed.

The [4+2] cycloaddition of donor-acceptor cyclobutanes and nitrosoarenes

The Yb(OTf)3 catalyzed [4+2] cycloaddition between donor-acceptor cyclobutanes and nitrosoarenes is disclosed. This method facilitates the synthesis of tetrahydro-1,2-oxazines in good to excellent yields as single diastereomers. Except for a few electron-deficient nitrosoarenes, excellent regioselectivity was observed throughout these studies.

Spiro fused diterpene-indole alkaloids from a creek-bottom-derived Aspergillus terreus

Four metabolites, teraspiridoles A-D (2-5), formed from the merger of a diterpene and modified indole scaffold were obtained from an Aspergillus terreus isolate. The structures and absolute configurations of these natural products were established using NMR, mass spectrometry, Marfey's method, VCD, and ECD data. Teraspiridole B (3) exhibited weak inhibition of planaria regeneration/survival.

Antiviral alkaloids produced by the mangrove-derived fungus Cladosporium sp. PJX-41

Six new indole alkaloids including five new glyantrypine derivatives (1, 2a, 2b, 3, 4) and a new pyrazinoquinazoline derivative (5), together with eight known alkaloids (6-13), were isolated from the culture of the mangrove-derived fungus Cladosporium sp. PJX-41. Their structures were elucidated primarily by spectroscopic and physical data. The absolute configurations of compounds 1-9 were established on the basis of CD, NOESY data, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 2b, 5, 7-9, and 11 exhibited significant activities against influenza virus A (H1N1), with IC50 values of 82-89 μM.