No abstract

Four new cyclic peptides, psychrophilins E-H (1-4), possessing a rare amide linkage between the carboxylic acid in anthranilic acid (ATA) and the nitrogen from an indole moiety, along with a new ATA-containing hexapeptide, versicotide C (5), were obtained from the culture of the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor ZLN-60. The structures, including absolute configurations, were elucidated by a combination of HRESIMS, NMR, X-ray crystallography, TDDFT ECD calculations, and Marfey's method. Versicotide C (5) is the first natural cyclic hexapeptide containing two anthranilic acids. Compounds 1-5 were not cytotoxic, and compound 3 showed potent lipid-lowering effects.

Effusin A (1), a spirobicyclic N,O-acetal derivative with an unprecedented 3',3a',5',6'-tetrahydrospiro[piperazine-2,2'-pyrano[2,3,4-de]chromene] ring system, and a spiro-polyketide-diketopiperazine hybrid dihydrocryptoechinulin D (2) were isolated from a mangrove rhizosphere soil derived fungus, Aspergillus effuses H1-1. Their structures were determined by detailed spectroscopic analysis. Effusin A (1) and dihydrocryptoechinulin D (2) occurred as racemates, the enantiomers of which were separated and characterized by online HPLC-ECD analysis and their absolute configurations were determined by the solution TDDFT ECD calculation approach. The cytotoxic effects of 1 and 2 were preliminarily evaluated and 2 showed potent activity on P388 cells with an IC(50) value of 1.83 μM. The target of racemic 2 was also investigated and the (12R,28S,31S)-2 enantiomer showed selectivity against topoisomerase I.

Four new prenylated diphenyl ethers (1-4), diorcinols B-E, together with one known diorcinol (5), were obtained from the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor. Their structures were established on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 2 were determined by Mosher's ester and specific rotation analysis. Their cytotoxicities were evaluated using A-549, Hela, BEL-7402 and K562 cell lines. Compound 3 exhibited moderate cytotoxicities against the Hela and K562 cell lines with the IC50 values of 31.5 and 48.9 μM, respectively, and compound 4 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity only against the Hela cell line with the IC50 value of 36.5 μM.

Seven new prenylated indole diketopiperazines, versicamides A-G (1-7) and a novel chemical derivative from 7, versicamide H (8), along with three known analogic diketopiperazines (9-11) were obtained from the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor HDN08-60. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic techniques, including 2D NMR, ECD calculations, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, together with the assistance of further chemical conversions. The cytotoxicities of 1-8 were tested against the HeLa, HCT-116, HL-60, and K562 cell lines, but only 8 exhibited moderate activity against HL-60 cells, with an IC50 value of 8.7 μM. Further investigation with target screening showed that 8 exhibited selective PTK inhibitory activities.