Interaction of the Fungal Metabolite Harzianic Acid with Rare-Earth Cations (La3+, Nd3+, Sm3+, Gd3+)

Rare-earth elements are emerging contaminants of soil and water bodies which destiny in the environment and effects on organisms is modulated by their interactions with natural ligands produced by bacteria, fungi and plants. Within this framework, coordination by harzianic acid (H₂L), a Trichoderma secondary metabolite, of a selection of tripositive rare-earth cations Ln³⁺ (Ln³⁺ = La³⁺, Nd³⁺, Sm^3+, and Gd³⁺) was investigated at 25 °C, and in a CH₃OH/0.1 M NaClO₄ (50/50 w/w) solvent, using mass spectrometry, circular dichroism, UV–Vis spectrophotometry, and pH measurements. Experimental data can be satisfactorily explained by assuming, for all investigated cations, the formation of a mono-complex (LnL⁺) and a bis-complex (LnL₂⁻). Differences were found between the formation constants of complexes of different Ln³⁺ cations, which can be correlated with ionic radius. Since gadolinium is the element that raises the most concern among lanthanide elements, its effects on organisms at different levels of biological organization were explored, in the presence and absence of harzianic acid. Results of ecotoxicological tests suggest that harzianic acid can decrease gadolinium biotoxicity, presumably because of complex formation with Gd³⁺.     

Precursor-Directed Biosynthesis of Aminofulvenes: New Chalanilines from Endophytic Fungus Chalara sp.

The plant endophyte Chalara sp. is able to biotransform the epigenetic modifier vorinostat to form unique, aniline-containing polyketides named chalanilines. Here, we sought to expand the chemical diversity of chalaniline A-type molecules by changing the aniline moiety in the precursor vorinostat. In total, twenty-three different vorinostat analogs were prepared via two-step synthesis, and nineteen were incorporated by the fungus into polyketides. The highest yielding substrates were selected for large-scale precursor-directed biosynthesis and five novel compounds, including two fluorinated chalanilines, were isolated, purified, and structurally characterized. Structure elucidation relied on 1D and 2D NMR techniques and was supported by low- and high-resolution mass spectrometry. All compounds were tested for their bioactivity but were not active in antimicrobial or cell viability assays. Aminofulvene-containing natural products are rare, and this high-yielding, precursor-directed process allows for the diversification of this class of compounds.     

Determination of Phenols Using Various Peroxidases

Abstract

Peroxidases of different origin — horseradish peroxidase isozyme C, alfalfa and peanut cationic peroxidases, tobacco leaves and novel fungal anionic peroxidases – were used to determine phenol and its analogues. Phenol and resorcinol were shown to be the inhibitors of the peroxidase activity towards o—dianisidine for all the enzymes tested, whereas pyrogallol and hydroquinone caused an appearance of a lag—period on a kinetic curve. The duration of a lag—period was proportional to the effector concentration and could be used to determine it. The novel fungal peroxidase from Phellinus igniarius exhibited the highest sensitivity towards phenols and they could be determined at the 10–6 – 10–7 M concentration levels.     

Epicochalasines A and B: Two Bioactive Merocytochalasans Bearing Caged Epicoccine Dimer Units from Aspergillus flavipes

Two bioactive merocytochalasans, epicochalasines A ( 1 ) and B ( 2 ), a new class of cytochalasans bearing unexpected scaffolds consisting of fused aspochalasin and epicoccine dimer moieties, were isolated from the liquid culture broth of Aspergillus flavipes. Both 1 and 2 possess a hendecacyclic 5/6/11/5/6/5/6/5/6/6/5 ring system containing an adamantyl cage and as many as 19 stereogenic centers; however, the fusion patterns of 1 and 2 differ greatly, thus resulting in different carbon skeletons. The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were determined by X‐ray diffraction and calculated ECD, respectively. The biogenetic pathways of 1 and 2 are proposed to involve Diels–Alder and nucleophilic addition reactions. Both 1 and 2 induced significant G2/M‐phase cell‐cycle arrest. Furthermore, we found that merocytochalasans induce apoptosis in leukemia cells through the activation of caspase‐3 and the degradation of PARP.     

Chloropupukeanolides C-E: cytotoxic pupukeanane chlorides with a spiroketal skeleton from Pestalotiopsis fici

Chloropupukeanolides C–E ( 8 – 10 ), three highly functionalized secondary metabolites featuring a novel spiroketal skeleton derived from the chlorinated tricyclo‐[4.3.1.0^{3, 7}]‐decane (pupukeanane) and the 2,6‐dihydroxy‐4‐methylbenzoic acid moieties, were isolated from the scale‐up fermentation extract of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. The constitutions of compounds 8 – 10 were elucidated primarily by NMR experiments. Their relative configurations were deduced by analogy to metabolites 4 – 6 , which were previously isolated from the same fungus. The absolute configuration of 8 was assigned by X‐ray crystallography and those of 9 and 10 by quantum‐chemical CD calculations. Biogenetically, chloropupukeanolides C–E ( 8 – 10 ) are presumably derived from the same oxidation‐induced Diels–Alder reaction pathway as compounds 1 and 4 – 7 , via the putative biosynthetic precursors 2 and 3 . The opposite configurations of the complete “Southern parts” of 8 and 9 suggests that this Diels–Alder reaction is stereochemically not very selective. Compounds 8 – 10 showed significant cytotoxicity against a small panel of human tumor cell lines and weak activities against the pathogens of tropical diseases.     

Efficient Syntheses of New 2,2′-Disubstituted-2,3-dihydrofuran Derivatives and Natural Polyketide Analogues

Efficient syntheses of new 2,2′-disubstituted-2,3-dihydrofuran(5H)-4-one,spiro{benzofuran-2,2′-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptan}-4(5H)-one derivatives, and natural polyketide analogues have been achieved via the oxidative [3 + 2] cycloaddition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with monoterpenes myrcene, camphene, and natural phenyl propenes, namely anethole and safrole respectively. Interestingly, the reaction of isoprene and myrcene with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds yielded 2,2-disubstituted tetrahydrobenzofuran-4(5H)-one derivatives at room temperature. Thus, several substituted 2,3-dihydrofuran derivatives (3a–3h) with potential biological activity have been synthesized.     

The Genus Cladosporium: A Rich Source of Diverse and Bioactive Natural Compounds

Fungi are renowned as one of the most fruitful sources of chemodiversity and for their ubiquitous occurrence. Among the many taxonomic groupings considered for the implications deriving from their biosynthetic aptitudes, the genus Cladosporium stands out as one of the most common in indoor environments. A better understanding of the impact of these fungi on human health and activities is clearly based on the improvement of our knowledge of the structural aspects and biological properties of their secondary metabolites, which are reviewed in the present paper.