Benzophenone and chromone derivatives and their dimers from the scale-insect pathogenic fungus Orbiocrella petchii BCC 51377

Subplenones A-J: Dimeric Xanthones with Antibacterial Activity from the Endophytic Fungus Subplenodomus sp. CPCC 401465

Subplenones A-J (1-10), 10 new xanthone dimers, have been isolated and characterized from the endophytic fungus Subplenodomus sp. CPCC 401465, which resides within the Chinese medicinal plant Gentiana straminea. The isolation process was guided by antibacterial assays and molecular-networking-based analyses. The chemical structures of these compounds were elucidated through the interpretation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS) data. Furthermore, the relative configuration of the compounds was determined using NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, and the absolute configuration was established using electronic circular dichroism calculations. All of the isolated compounds exhibited significant inhibitory activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Notably, compounds 1, 5, and 7 displayed remarkable inhibitory activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ATCC 700698, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.25 μg/mL, and against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) ATCC 700221, with MIC values ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 μg/mL.

Benzophenones-natural metabolites with great Hopes in drug discovery: structures, occurrence, bioactivities, and biosynthesis

Fungi have protruded with enormous development in the repository of drug discovery, making them some of the most attractive sources for the synthesis of bio-significant and structural novel metabolites. Benzophenones are structurally unique metabolites with phenol/carbonyl/phenol frameworks, that are separated from microbial and plant sources. They have drawn considerable interest from researchers due to their versatile building blocks and diversified bio-activities. The current work aimed to highlight the reported data on fungal benzophenones, including their structures, occurrence, and bioactivities in the period from 1963 to April 2023. Overall, 147 benzophenones derived from fungal source were listed in this work. Structure activity relationships of the benzophenones derivatives have been discussed. Also, in this review, a brief insight into their biosynthetic routes was presented. This work could shed light on the future research of benzophenones.

Enantioselective synthesis of chiral 3-alkyl-3-nitro-4-chromanones via chiral thiourea-catalysed intramolecular Michael-type cyclization

Herein we report an enantioselective method for the rapid construction of chiral 3-nitro-4-chromanones via a chiral thiourea-catalyzed intramolecular Michael-type cyclization reaction. With this method, a series of 3,3-disubstituted-3-nitro-4-chromanones bearing contiguous C2/C3 stereocenters were obtained with high diastereoselectivities and good to excellent enantioselectivities. In vitro biological evaluations indicated that the chiral amide derivative of the product showed more potent antitumor activities than both the racemic and the corresponding enantiomers, showcasing the high influence of enantioselective methodology development toward medicinal studies.

Highly Modified Lanostane Triterpenes from the Wood-Rot Basidiomycete Ganoderma colossus: Comparative Chemical Investigations of Natural and Artificially Cultivated Fruiting Bodies and Mycelial Cultures

The wood-rot basidiomycete Ganoderma colossus has been chemically investigated. Comparative analyses of the natural fruiting body, artificially cultivated fruiting bodies, and mycelial cultures resulted in the isolation, in total, of 13 new highly modified lanostanes, ganocolossusins A-H (1-8) and ganodermalactones T-X (9-13), together with 23 known compounds (14-36). There were significant overlaps of the same compounds among the three different states of the fungal materials. Ganocolossusin D (4) displayed the most potent antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum K1 (multi-drug-resistant strain) with an IC₅₀ value of 2.4 μM, while it was noncytotoxic to Vero cells at 50 μg/mL.

Complete mitogenome of the entomopathogenic fungus Orbiocrella petchii

In this study, the complete mitogenome of an entomopathogenic fungus Orbiocrella petchii (syn. Torrubiella petchii) was assembled and annotated. This circular mitogenome was 23,794 bp in length and consisted of 2 rRNA genes (rnl and rns), 25 tRNA genes, and 14 standard protein-coding genes of the oxidative phosphorylation system. Two group I introns were identified, and they encoded ribosomal protein S3 (in rnl) or a GIY-YIG endonuclease (in nad1). Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial DNA sequences confirms O. petchii in the family of Clavicipitaceae.