Indole Diketopiperazine Alkaloids from the Marine Sediment-Derived Fungus against Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

A new prenylated indole diketopiperazine alkaloid, rubrumline P (), was isolated along with six more analogues and characterized from the fermentation culture of a marine sediment-derived fungus, , collected at a depth of 15 m near the lighthouse in Dahab, Red Sea, Egypt. In the current study, a bioassay-guided fractionation allowed for the identification of an active fraction displaying significant cytotoxic activity against the human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line PANC-1 from the EtOAc extract of the investigated fungus compared to the standard paclitaxel. The structures of the isolated compounds from the active fraction were established using 1D/2D NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, together with comparisons with the literature.

Polyketides from the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus falconensis: In silico and in vitro cytotoxicity studies.

Fermentation of the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus falconensis, isolated from sediment collected from the Red Sea, Egypt on solid rice medium containing 3.5% NaCl yielded a new dibenzoxepin derivative (1) and a new natural isocoumarin (2) along with six known compounds (3-8). Changes in the metabolic profile of the fungus were induced by replacing NaCl with 3.

Anti-inflammatory, antiallergic and COVID-19 protease inhibitory activities of phytochemicals from the Jordanian hawksbeard: identification, structure-activity relationships, molecular modeling and impact on its folk medicinal uses.

On Wednesday 11 March, 2020, the world health organization (WHO) announced novel coronavirus (COVID-19, also called SARS-CoV-2) as a pandemic. Due to time shortage and lack of either a vaccine and/or an effective treatment, many trials focused on testing natural products to find out potential lead candidates. In this field, an edible and folk medicinal Jordanian plant (Asteraceae) was selected for this study.

Azaphilones from the Red Sea Fungus .

The marine-derived fungus , isolated from sediment collected from the Canyon at Dahab, Red Sea, yielded two new chlorinated azaphilones, falconensins O and P ( and ) in addition to four known azaphilone derivatives (-) following fermentation of the fungus on solid rice medium containing 3.5% NaCl. Replacing NaCl with 3.

Cladosins L-O, new hybrid polyketides from the endophytic fungus Cladosporium sphaerospermum WBS017.

The endophytic fungus Cladosporium sphaerospermum WBS017 was obtained from healthy bulbs of Fritillaria unibracteata var. wabuensis. Fermentation of C.

-Hexitronic acid, a new tetronic acid derivative isolated from a soil fungus FG9RK.

A new tetronic acid derivative () together with terrestric acid (), a known metabolite of species, was isolated from the soil fungus, FG9RK following fermentation on solid rice medium. The structure of was elucidated by one- and two-dimensional NMR and MS measurements. The absolute configuration of the oxygenated carbon in the side chain of was identified as by converting the compound into its Mosher ester whereas the absolute configuration of the lactone ring was deduced based on biogenetic considerations and comparison with .

Polyketides and a Dihydroquinolone Alkaloid from a Marine-Derived Strain of the Fungus .

Three new natural products (-), including two butenolide derivatives ( and ) and one dihydroquinolone derivative (), together with nine known natural products were isolated from a marine-derived strain of the fungus The structures of the new compounds were unambiguously deduced by spectroscopic means including HRESIMS and 1D/2D NMR spectroscopy, ECD, VCD, OR measurements, and calculations. The absolute configuration of marqualide () was determined by a combination of modified Mosher's method with TDDFT-ECD calculations at different levels, which revealed the importance of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in determining the ECD features. The (3,4) absolute configuration of aflaquinolone I (), determined by OR, ECD, and VCD calculations, was found to be opposite of the (3,4) absolute configuration of the related aflaquinolones A-G, suggesting that the fungus produces aflaquinolone I with a different configuration (chiral switching).

Anthraquinones and autophagy - Three rings to rule them all?

In order to overcome therapy resistance in cancer, scientists search in nature for novel lead structures for the development of improved chemotherapeutics. Anthraquinones belong to a class of tricyclic organic natural compounds with promising anti-cancer effects. Anthraquinone derivatives are rich in structural diversity, and exhibit pleiotropic properties, among which the modulation of autophagy seems promising in the context of overcoming cancer-therapy resistance.