Nigrosphaerin A, a new isochromene derivative (1), was isolated from the endophytic fungus Nigrospora sphaerica and chemically identified as 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-4,6,8-trihydroxy-1H-isochromen-1-one-6-O-β-d-glucopyranoside. In addition nineteen known compounds (2–20) were isolated from the same fungus and chemically identified. Compounds (1–3, 5, and 7–16) were isolated for the first time from this fungus. In vitro antileukemic, antileishmanial, antifungal, antibacterial and antimalarial activities of (1–20) were examined. Compounds 5, 7, 9 and 10 showed good antileukemic activity against HL60 cells with IC50 values of 0.03, 0.39, 0.2 and 0.4 μg/mL, respectively and against K562 cells with IC50 values of 0.35, 0.35, 0.49 and 0.01 μg/mL, respectively. Compounds 3, 4 and 6 showed moderate antileishmanial activity with IC50 values of 30.2, 26.4 and 36.4 μg/ml, respectively. Compound 7 showed moderate antifungal activity against Cryptococcus neoformans with IC50 value of 14.8 μg/mL.

Four new (1–4) and two known (5 and 6) α-pyrone derivatives have been isolated from Alternaria phragmospora, an endophytic fungus from Vinca rosea, leaves. The isolated compounds were chemically identified to be 5-butyl-4-methoxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (1), 5-butyl-6-(hydroxymethyl)-4-methoxy-2H-pyran-2-one (2), 5-(1-hydroxybutyl)-4-methoxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (3), 4-methoxy-6-methyl-5-(3-oxobutyl)-2H-pyran-2-one (4), 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methoxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (5), and 5-[(2E)-but-2-en-1-yl]-4-methoxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (6). Compounds 2 and 4 showed moderate antileukemic activities against HL60 cells with IC50 values of 2.2 and 0.9 μM and against K562 cells with IC50 values of 4.5 and 1.5 μM, respectively.

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A preliminary phytochemical screening of fruits of Anethum gruveolens L., Apium gruveolens L., Daucus curotu L., and seeds of Erucu sutiuu Mill., revealed the presence of volatile oil, sterols andlor triterpenes, carbohydrates and/or glycosides, tannins and flavonoids in the four entitled plants; Glucosinolates were detected only in Erucu seeds. Pharmacological evaluation of the aforementioned plants for diuretic activity has shown the ethanolic extracts of Erucu sutiua seeds and fruits of Anethum gruueolens, Duucus curotu as well as the volatile oils in the former two plants to produce an increase in urine flow in dogs. Volatile oil of Erucu seeds, significantly, increased Na', K+ and CI-excretion in urine, whereas Anethum gruveolens volatile oil significantly increased Na' and CIexcretion only.

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The pyrrolizidine alkaloid intermedine-N-oxide was isolated from Cerinthe glabra for the first time. Due to the questionable assignments of NMR signals of this compound in previous literature reports ab initio calculations of the 13 C NMR values based on the GIAO approach, using HF and B3LYP levels of theory and the four basis sets 6-31G(d), 6-311G(d), 6-31G(d,p), and 6-311G(d,p) were performed. The assignments obtained this way are in very good accordance with the experimental values.