Evaluating the urate-lowering effects of different microbial fermented extracts in hyperuricemic models accompanied with a safety study.

Uric acid (UA) is an end product of purine metabolism by the enzyme xanthine oxidase (XOD). Hyperuricemia is characterized by the accumulation of serum UA and is an important risk factor for gout and many chronic disorders. XOD inhibitors or uricase (catalyzes UA to the more soluble end product) can prevent these chronic diseases.

Secondary Metabolites of the Endophytic Fungus Lachnum abnorme from Ardisia cornudentata.

Fractionation of an EtOAc-soluble fraction of the solid fermentate of an endophytic fungus, Lachnum abnorme Mont. BCRC 09F0006, derived from the endemic plant, Ardisia cornudentata Mez. (Myrsinaceae), resulted in the isolation of three new chromones, lachnochromonins D-F (1-3), one novel compound, lachabnormic acid (4), along with nine known compounds (5-13).

Six new metabolites produced by Colletotrichum aotearoa 09F0161, an endophytic fungus isolated from Bredia oldhamii.

Six new compounds, colletobredins A-D (1-4) and colletomelleins A and B (5 and 6), along with 12 previously identified compounds, were isolated from the culture broth of Colletotrichum aotearoa BCRC 09F0161, a fungal endophyte residing in the leaves of an endemic Formosan plant Bredia oldhamii Hook. f. (Melastomataceae).

Inhibitory effects of constituents of an endophytic fungus Hypoxylon investiens on nitric oxide and interleukin-6 production in RAW264.7 macrophages.

Three new compounds, hypoxyloamide (1), 8-methoxynaphthalene-1,7-diol (2), and hypoxylonol (3), together with seven compounds isolated from nature for the first time, investiamide (4), hypoxypropanamide (5), hypoxylonol A (6), investienol (7), 2-heptylfuran (8), (3S)-5-methyl-8-O-methylmellein (9), (4R)-O-methylsclerone (10), along with 19 known compounds, 11-29, were isolated from the culture broth of Hypoxylon investiens BCRC 10F0115, a fungal endophyte residing in the stems of an endemic Formosan plant Litsea akoensis var. chitouchiaoensis. The structures of the new compounds were established by spectroscopic methods, including UV, IR, HR-ESI-MS, and extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques.

Preventive effects of Monascus on androgen-related diseases: androgenetic alopecia, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and prostate cancer.

Androgen-related diseases impair the well-being of many aging men. Unfortunately, the medications used to treat these diseases have many side effects. Therefore, there is a significant need for the development of novel drugs to treat androgen-related diseases.

Phytochemical investigation of Annulohypoxylon ilanense, an endophytic fungus derived from Cinnamomum species.

Cultivation of the fungal strain Annulohypoxylon ilanense, an endophytic fungus isolated from the wood of medicinal plant Cinnamomum species, resulted in the isolation of one new furanoid derivative, ilanefuranone (1), one new pyrrole alkaloid, ilanepyrrolal (2), and one new biarylpropanoid derivative, ilanenoid (3), together with 22 known compounds, of which one α-tetralone analog, (-)-(4R)-3,4-dihydro-4,6-dihydroxynaphthalen-1(2H)-one (4) was isolated for the first time from a natural source. The structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical evidence, in-depth NMR spectroscopic analysis, and high-resolution mass spectrometry, and the antimycobacterial activities were also evaluated.

Inhibitory effects of maleimide derivatives from the mycelia of the fungus Antrodia cinnamomea BCRC 36799 on nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 macrophages.

Four new maleimide derivatives, antrocinnamomins E-H (1-4, resp.), together with (3S,4R)-1-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(2-methylpropyl)pyrrolidine-2,5-dione (5) and ergosterol were isolated from the mycelia of Antrodia cinnamomea BCRC 36799. The structures were elucidated by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry.

Chemical constituents from a soil-derived actinomycete, Actinomadura miaoliensis BCRC 16873, and their inhibitory activities on lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor production.

An investigation on the secondary metabolites from the BuOH extract of the fermentation broth of the thermotolerant polyester-degrading actinomycete Actinomadura miaoliensis BCRC 16873 was carried out. One previously undescribed α-pyrone (=pyran-2-one) derivative, designated as miaolienone (1), and a new butanolide, miaolinolide (2), together with 13 known compounds, 3-15, were obtained. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR analyses in combination with HR-MS experiments.

Analysis of Taiwan patents for the medicinal mushroom "Niu-Chang- Chih".

"Niu-Chang-Chih" (Antrodia cinnanomea) is a medicinal mushroom that has only been collected from the aromatic tree, Cinnamomum kanehirai, which is native to Taiwan. A total of 105 Taiwan patent applications and patents for "Niu-Chang-Chih" were collected and analyzed. Patent applications and granted patents claiming newly identified functional components from "Niu-Chang-Chih," biologically pure cultures of the mushroom strain, and cultivation of "Niu-Chang-Chih" were examined.

Monascusazaphilones A-C, three new azaphilone analogues isolated from the fungus Monascus purpureus BCRC 38108.

Investigation of the 95% EtOH extract of red yeast rice fermented with the pink mutant of the fungus Monascus purpureus BCRC 38108 led to the isolation of three new azaphilone derivatives, namely monascusazaphilones A-C (1-3), together with two known compounds. Compounds 1-3 were isolated from this species for the first time. Their structures were elucidated by 1-D and 2-D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy together with HR-ESI-MS analysis and comparison of the spectroscopic data with those reported in the literatures.

Monascuspiloin enhances the radiation sensitivity of human prostate cancer cells by stimulating endoplasmic reticulum stress and inducing autophagy.

Prostate cancer is a very common cancer among males. Traditional treatments for prostate cancer have limited efficacy; therefore, new therapeutic strategies and/or new adjuvant drugs must be explored. Red yeast rice (RYR) is a traditional food spice made in Asia by fermenting white rice with Monascus purpureus Went yeast.

Monascuspiloin induces apoptosis and autophagic cell death in human prostate cancer cells via the Akt and AMPK signaling pathways.

Monascus pigments have been reported to possess anticancer effects in various cancer cells; however, the molecular mechanisms of their anticancer properties remain largely unknown. Monascuspiloin is an analogue of the Monascus pigment monascin, and its anticancer growth activity against human prostate cancer cells was evaluated using in vitro and in vivo models. Monascuspiloin effectively inhibits the growth of both androgen-dependent LNCaP and androgen-independent PC-3 human prostate cancer cells.

Monasnicotinates A-D, four new pyridine alkaloids from the fungal strain Monascus pilosus BCRC 38093.

Four new pyridine derivatives, monasnicotinates A-D (1-4) were isolated from the red yeast rice of Monascus pilosus BCRC 38093. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical evidence, in-depth NMR spectroscopic analysis, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Their inhibitory effects on NO production was also evaluated.

Antioxidant activities of extracts and metabolites isolated from the fungus Antrodia cinnamomea.

Three different solvent partitions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate [EtOAc] and n-BuOH) of the culture broth from Antrodia cinnamomea were assayed with two different radical scavenging methods: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and superoxide radical scavenging (SOD) assay. The EtOAc layer exhibited the best antioxidant activity. Two major antioxidant metabolites were isolated from the active EtOAc layer.

Deriving the phylogenetic information from some physicochemical properties of protein sequences computed.

The evolutionary relationships of organisms are traditionally delineated by the alignment-based methods using some DNA or protein sequences. In the post-genome era, the phylogenetics of life could be inferred from many sources such as genomic features, not just from comparison of one or several genes. To investigate the possibility that the physicochemical properties of protein sequences might reflect the phylogenetic ones, an alignment-free method using a support vector machine (SVM) classifier is implemented to establish the phylogenetic relationships between some protein sequences.

A new pyrrole derivative from the extracts of the fungus monascus pilosus-fermented rice.

A chemical study on the n-BuOH-soluble fraction of the 95% EtOH extract of red yeast rice fermented with the fungus Monascus pilosus BCRC 38093 (Eurotiaceae) has resulted in the isolation of one new natural pyrrole derivative, designated as monascuspyrrole (1) together with nine known compounds, 3β-hydroxystigmast-5-en-7-one (2), β-sitostenone (3), monascin (4), ankaflavin (5), N-trans-feruloyltyramine (6), N-cis-feruloyltyramine (7), vanillic acid (8), methyl paraben (9), and syringaldehyde (10). The structure of the new compound 1 was identified by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, as well as by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Other known compounds were identified by comparison of their spectral data with the literature data of authentic samples.

Isolation and structure determination of one new metabolite isolated from the red fermented rice of Monascus purpureus.

The n-BuOH-soluble portion of the 95% EtOH extract of red fermented rice fermented with the yellow mutant of the fungus Monascus purpureus BCRC 38113 (Monascaceae) led to the isolation of one new pyran-2-one derivative, namely peroxymonascuspyrone (1), along with nine known compounds, monasfluore A (2), monasfluore B (3), 3-epi-betulinic acid (4), 3-epi-betulinic acid acetate (5), alpha-tocospiro A (6), friedelan-3-one (7), alpha-cadinol (8), anticopalol (9), and spathulenol (10). Interestingly, this is the first report of a naturally occurring pyran-2-one skeleton isolated from Monascus sp. Their structures and relative configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including 1D- and 2D-NMR ((1)H,(1)H-COSY, HMQC, HMBC and NOESY), as well as low- and high-resolution mass spectrometric analyses.

A new sesquiterpene isolated from the extracts of the fungus Monascus pilosus-fermented rice.

A new sesquiterpene, monaspilosuslin, as well as seven known compounds 3beta-hydroxystigmast-5-en-7-one, beta-sitostenone, monascin, ankaflavin, N-trans-feruloyltyramine, vanillic acid and alpha-tocopheryl quinone, were isolated from the n-BuOH-soluble fraction of the 70% ethanolic extract of red yeast rice fermented with the fungus Monascus pilosus BCRC 38072 (Eurotiaceae). The structures of these compounds were determined by analyses of spectroscopic data, mainly 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. All of the isolates were also evaluated for their scavenging properties toward the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical in thin layer chromatography (TLC) autographic and spectroscopic methods.

Identification of the mokH gene encoding transcription factor for the upregulation of monacolin K biosynthesis in Monascus pilosus.

Monacolin K is a secondary metabolite synthesized by polyketide synthases (PKS) from Monascus. The monacolin K biosynthetic gene cluster, mokA-mokI, has been characterized in Monascus pilosus. The mokH gene encoding Zn(II)2Cys6 binuclear DNA binding protein is assumed to be an activator for monacolin K production.

Secondary metabolites from the red mould rice of Monascus purpureus BCRC 38113.

One new tetralone, monaspurpurone (1), was isolated from the EtOH extract of a yellow mutant of the fungus Monascus purpureus BCRC 38113 (Eurotiaceae) grown on rice, along with five known compounds, β-sitosteryl palmitate (2), ergosterol (3), ankaflavin (4), monascin (5) and p-nitrophenol (6). They were characterised on the basis of spectral analysis and comparison with literature data. All the isolates were also evaluated for the scavenging properties towards the DPPH in TLC autographic and spectroscopic assays.

Exploring the distribution of citrinin biosynthesis related genes among Monascus species.

Citrinin, a hepato-nephrotoxic compound to humans, can be produced by the food fermentation microorganisms Monascus spp. In this study, we investigated the distribution of mycotoxin citrinin biosynthesis genes in 18 Monascus strains. The results show that the acyl-transferase and keto-synthase domains of the pksCT gene encoding citrinin polyketide synthase were found in Monascus purpureus, Monascus kaoliang, and Monascus sanguineus.

Selection of an effective red-pigment producing Monascus pilosus by efficient transformation with aurintricarboxylic acid.

The filamentous fungus Monascus pilosus was genetically transformed with a reporter plasmid, pMS-1.5hp, by aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) treatment to obtain an efficient red-pigment producing mutant. The transformation efficiency of Monascus pilosus was higher with the ATA-treatment than with either a non-restriction-enzyme-mediated integration (REMI) or a REMI method.

Cloning and characterization of monacolin K biosynthetic gene cluster from Monascus pilosus.

Monacolin K is a secondary metabolite synthesized by polyketide synthases (PKS) from Monascus, and it has the same structure as lovastatin, which is mainly produced by Aspergillus terreus. In the present study, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone, mps01, was screened from the BAC library constructed from Monascus pilosus BCRC38072 genomic DNA. The putative monacolin K biosynthetic gene cluster was found within a 42 kb region in the mps01 clone.

Maleimide and maleic anhydride derivatives from the mycelia of Antrodia cinnamomea and their nitric oxide inhibitory activities in macrophages.

On cultivation of the fungus Antrodia cinnamomea (BCRC 36799) on a medium, the mycelium was extracted and evaluated for nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activity. Bioactivity-directed fractionation led to the isolation of two new maleimide derivatives, antrocinnamomins A (1) and B (2), and two new maleic anhydride derivatives, antrocinnamomins C (3) and D (4), along with three known compounds, 3-isobutyl-4-[4-(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)phenyl]furan-2,5-dione (5), 3-isobutyl-4-[4-(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)phenyl]-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione (6), and 3-isobutyl-4-[4-(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)phenyl]-1H-pyrrol-1-ol-2,5-dione (7). Structural elucidation of compounds 1-4 was carried out by spectroscopic data.