α-Pyrone derivatives with cytotoxic activities, from the endophytic fungus Phoma sp. YN02-P-3

Endophytic Fungi: Cellular factories of novel medicinal chemistries

Inflammation and associated disorders have been a major contributing factor to mortality worldwide. The augmented mortality rate and emerging resistance against the approved therapeutics necessitate the discovery of novel chemistries destined for multiple clinical settings. Cellular factories including endophytic fungi have been tapped for chemical diversity with therapeutic potential. The emerging evidence has suggested the potential of bioactive compounds isolated from the endophytic fungi as putative agents to combat inflammation-associated disorders. The review summarizesand assists the readers in comprehending the structural and functional aspects of the medicinal chemistries identified from endophytic fungi as anticancer, antiobesity, antigout, and immunomodulatory agents.

α-Pyrone Derivatives from Calcarisporium arbuscula Discovered by Genome Mining

A highly reducing polyketide synthase (HRPKS) gene cluster from the genome of Calcarisporium arbuscula was identified through genome mining. Heterologous expression of this cluster led to the production of four new α-pyrone compounds, calcapyrones A (1) and B (2), along with their biosynthetic intermediates calcapyrones C (3) and D (4). The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic experiments, and the absolute configurations of the 7,8-diol moieties in 1 and 2 were assigned using Snatzke's method. The biosynthetic pathway of 1 and 2 was established through in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Phoma spp. an untapped treasure of cytotoxic compounds: current status and perspectives

The genus Phoma has been explored for a wide range of secondary metabolites signifying a huge range of bioactivities. Phoma sensu lato is a major group that secretes several secondary metabolites. The genus Phoma mainly includes Phoma macrostoma, P. multirostrata, P. exigua, P. herbarum, P. betae, P. bellidis, P. medicaginis, P. tropica, and many more species from the genus that are continuously being identified for their potential secondary metabolites. The metabolite spectrum includes bioactive compounds like phomenon, phomin, phomodione, cytochalasins, cercosporamide, phomazines, and phomapyrone reported from various Phoma spp. These secondary metabolites show a broad range of activities including antimicrobial, antiviral, antinematode, and anticancer. The present review is aimed to emphasize the importance of Phoma sensu lato fungi, as a natural source of biologically active secondary metabolites, and their cytotoxic activities. So far, cytotoxic activities of Phoma spp. have not been reviewed; hence, this review will be novel and useful for the readers to develop Phoma-derived anticancer agents. KEY POINTS: • Different Phoma spp. contain a wide variety of bioactive metabolites. • These Phoma spp. also secrete cytotoxic and antitumor compounds. • The secondary metabolites can be used for the development of anticancer agents.

Phytochemistry and Biological Activities of Endophytic Fungi from the Meliaceae Family

Meliaceae plants are found worldwide in tropical or subtropical climates. They are important ethnobotanically as sources of traditional medicine, with 575 species and 51 genera. Previous research found that microorganisms are plant pioneers to produce secondary metabolites with diverse compound structures and bioactivities. Several plants of the Meliaceae family contain secondary metabolites isolated from endophytic fungi. Furthermore, related articles from 2002 to 2022 were collected from SciFinder, Google Scholar, and PubMed. About 276 compounds were isolated from endophytic fungi such as terpenoids, polyketides, lactones, pyrones, quinone, anthraquinones, xanthones, coumarines, isocoumarines, resorcylic acid lactones, cytochalasins, aromatics, ester, quinols, alkaloids, nitro compound, fatty acids, and sugars with bioactivities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-influenza, neuroprotective activities, anti-HIV, cytotoxic, allelopathic, anti-inflammatory, antifeedant effects, and BSLT toxicity. Meanwhile, secondary metabolites isolated from endophytic fungi were reported as one of the sources of active compounds for medicinal chemistry. This comprehensive review summarizes the ethnobotanical uses and secondary metabolites derived from Meliaceae endophytic fungi.

Pyranone Derivatives With Antitumor Activities, From the Endophytic Fungus Phoma sp. YN02-P-3

Two new pyranone derivatives phomapyrone A (2) and phomapyrone B (3), one new coumarin 11S, 13R-(+)-phomacumarin A (1), three known pyranones (4–6), together with three known amide alkaloids fuscoatramides A-C (7–9), as well as 9S, 11R-(+)-ascosalitoxin (10) were isolated from the endophytic fungus Phoma sp. YN02-P-3, which was isolated from the healthy leaf tissue of a Paulownia tree in Yunnan Province, China. Their structures were elucidated using extensive NMR spectroscopic and HRESIMS data and by comparing the information with literature data. In addition, all compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity activity against human tumor cell lines, and the results showed that new compounds 1-3 showed moderate inhibitory activity against the HL-60 cell line with IC₅₀ values of 31.02, 34.62, and 27.90 μM, respectively.

Secondary metabolites with diversified structures from an endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides associated with a toxic medicinal plant Tylophora ovata

Six new secondary metabolites, including two new nor-triterpenes (1 and 2), one new sesquiterpene (4), two new α-pyrone derivatives (6 and 7), and one new natural product (5) along with two known compounds (3 and 8) were isolated from an endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides obtained from a toxic medicinal plant Tylophora ovata. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analyses, while their absolute configurations were determined by CD and X-ray diffraction analyses. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of these compounds were evaluated.

Exploration of Potent Cytotoxic Molecules from Fungi in Recent Past to Discover Plausible Anticancer Scaffolds

Fungi are known to produce diverse scaffolds possessing unique biological activities, however, to date, no molecule discovered from a fungal source has reached the market as an anti-cancer drug. Every year number of cytotoxic molecules of fungal origin are getting published and critical analysis of those compounds is necessary to identify the potent ones. A review mentioning the best cytotoxic fungal metabolites and their status in the drug development was published in 2014. In this report, we have included 176 cytotoxic molecules isolated from fungi after 2014 and categorized them according to their potencies such as IC₅₀ values below 1 μM, 1-5 μM, and 5-10 μM. The emphasis was given to those 42 molecules which have shown IC₅₀ less than 1 μM and discussed to a great extent. This review shall provide potent scaffolds of fungal origin which can be given priority in the development as a drug candidate for cancer therapeutics.

Natural Enantiomers: Occurrence, Biogenesis and Biological Properties

The knowledge that natural products (NPs) are potent and selective modulators of important biomacromolecules (e.g., DNA and proteins) has inspired some of the world's most successful pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Notwithstanding these successes and despite a growing number of reports on naturally occurring pairs of enantiomers, this area of NP science still remains largely unexplored, consistent with the adage "If you don't seek, you don't find". Statistically, a rapidly growing number of enantiomeric NPs have been reported in the last several years. The current review provides a comprehensive overview of recent records on natural enantiomers, with the aim of advancing awareness and providing a better understanding of the chemical diversity and biogenetic context, as well as the biological properties and therapeutic (drug discovery) potential, of enantiomeric NPs.

Endophytic fungi: A treasure trove of novel anticancer compounds

Cancer is a multifactorial disease with a convoluted genesis and progression. The emergence of multidrug resistance to presently be offered drug and relapse is by far, the most critical concern to tackle this deteriorating disease. Henceforth, there is undeniably an inflated necessity for safe, promising, and less harmful new anticancer drugs. Natural compounds from various sources like plants, animals, and microorganisms have occupied a center stage in drug discovery due to their tremendous chemical diversity and potential as therapeutic agents. Endophytic microbes are symbiotically associated with plants and have been proven to produce novel or analogues of host bioactive metabolites exhibiting a variety of biological activities including anticancer activity. This review emphasizes on structurally diverse unprecedented anticancer natural compounds that have been reported exclusively from endophytic fungi from 2016 to 2020. It covers chemical nature of metabolites, its fungal source associated with terrestrial, as well as marine plants and anticancer activity based on their cytotoxicity profile against various cancer cell lines. Many of these fungal metabolites with promising anticancer activity can be used as lead molecules for in silico experiments and deserve special attention from scientists for further in vitro and clinical research.

Allantopyrone E, a rare α-pyrone metabolite from the mangrove derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor

A new α-pyrone derivative, with a rare substitution pattern, was isolated from the solid rice media of the fungal endophyte Aspergillus versicolor associated with the fruit of the mangrove Avicennia marina. It was named allantopyrone E, after allantopyrones C and D. The aforementioned three are the only diaryl-substituted α-pyrones to be reported from nature. The unique structure was elucidated based on one- and two dimensional NMR data as well as high resolution mass spectroscopy. A biosynthetic scheme was proposed for the new compound. Furthermore, allantopyrone E showed cytotoxic effect on HeLa cells with IC₅₀= 50.97 μM.

Unexpected synthesis of novel 2-pyrone derivatives: crystal structures, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational studies

Here we report synthesis of three new compounds namely, 1-acetyl-1H-benzimidazolo-2(3H)-one (I), N-(5-acetyl-6-methyl-2-oxo-2H-pyran-4-yl)-N-(2-acetamidophenyl)acetamide (II) and N-(2-acetamidophenyl)-N-2-oxo-2H-pyran-4-yl)acetamide (III) have been synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds I and II crystallize in the monoclinic space groups P21/n, and P21/c, respectively, while III crystallizes in the triclinic space group P-1. The theoretical parameters of I-III have been calculated through density functional theory (DFT) by using the hybrid functional B3LYP and basis set 6-311++G**. These theoretical parameters have been compared with the experimental ones obtained by XRD. The significant intermolecular interactions arising in crystal packing are rationalized by means of the Hirshfeld surface analysis method. The major intermolecular contacts in the Hirshfeld surfaces of I-III are from H…H contacts. In addition, binding modes of I-III within Tyrosine-protein kinase JAK2 were investigated using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Co-cultivation With 5-Azacytidine Induced New Metabolites From the Zoanthid-Derived Fungus Cochliobolus lunatus

The zoanthid-derived fungus Cochliobolus lunatus (TA26-46) has been proven to be a source of bioactive 14-membered resorcylic acid lactones (RALs). In the present study, chemical epigenetic manipulation was applied to this fungal strain with a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor resulting in the significant changes of the secondary metabolites. Cultivation of C. lunatus (TA26-46) with 10 μM 5-azacytidine in Czapek-Dox liquid medium led to the isolation of new types of metabolites, including two α-pyrones, cochliobopyrones A (1) and B (2), along with three isocoumarins (3–5) and one chromone (6). The planar structures of the new compounds (1–2) were elucidated by comprehensive analyses of NMR and HRESIMS data. Their challenging relative configurations were established by a combination of acetonide reaction, coupling constants and NOESY correlations analysis, and DP4+ probability calculation. Their absolute configurations were determined by comparing with the ECD calculation data of the fragment molecules, 6-(1,2-dihydroxypropyl)-4-methoxy-2H-pyran-2-ones. It is the first time to obtain α-pyrone compounds with the epoxy ring or bromine atom on the seven-numbered side chain. It could be concluded that chemical epigenetic agents could induce C. lunatus to produce new types of secondary metabolites differing from its original products (RALs).

Bioactive secondary metabolites from an endophytic fungus Phoma sp. PF2 derived from Artemisia princeps Pamp

Two new isochromanone derivatives, (3S,4S)-3,8-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-3,4,5-trimethylisochroman-1-one (1) and methyl (S)-8-hydroxy-6-methoxy-5-methyl-4a-(3-oxobutan-2-yl)benzoate (2), together with six known compounds (3‒8) were isolated from the cultures of an endophytic fungus Phoma sp. PF2 obtained from Artemisia princeps. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by interpretation of spectroscopic data (1D, 2D NMR, HRESIMS, and CD) and calculation of ECD. All the isolated compounds (1‒8) showed moderate inhibitory activities on nitric oxide levels in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 machrophage cells.

Novel natural compounds from endophytic fungi with anticancer activity

Plant endophytes are microorganisms that live in healthy plant tissues in part or all of their life history without causing obvious symptoms of infection in the host plants. Endophytes, a new type of microbial resource that can produce a variety of biological constituents, have great values for research and broad prospects for development. This article reviewed the research and development progress of endophytic fungi with cytotoxic activity between 2014 and 2017, including endophytic fungi sources, microbial taxonomy, compound classification and cytotoxic activity. The results showed that the 109 strains of endophytic fungi belong to 3 phyla, 7 classes and 50 genera. The secondary metabolites mainly contained alkaloids, terpenes, steroids, polyketides, quinones, isocoumarins, esters etc. The results of this study provide references for the development of new antitumor drugs and endophytes resources.