Asperolides A-C, tetranorlabdane diterpenoids from the marine alga-derived endophytic fungus Aspergillus wentii EN-48.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the culture extract of Aspergillus wentii EN-48, an endophytic fungus isolated from an unidentified marine brown algal species of the genus Sargassum, led to the isolation of three new tetranorlabdane diterpenoids, asperolides A-C (1-3), and five related derivatives (4-8). The structures of these compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic interpretation, and compound 1 was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by application of the modified Mosher's method.

Triazole and dihydroimidazole alkaloids from the marine sediment-derived fungus Penicillium paneum SD-44.

A novel triazole carboxylic acid, penipanoid A (1), two new quinazolinone alkaloids, penipanoids B (2) and C (3), and a very recently reported quinazolinone derivative (4) were isolated from the marine sediment-derived fungus Penicillium paneum SD-44. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, and the structure for 1 was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compound 1 represents the first example of a triazole derivative from marine sediment-derived fungi, and compound 2 is a rare quinazolinone derivative having a dihydroimidazole ring system.

Degradation of crude oil by indigenous microorganisms supplemented with nutrients.

Different kinds of mineral nutrients(NO3-N, NH4-N and PO4-P) were applied in the simulated oil-polluted seawater for enhancing oil biodegradation in the N/P ratio 10:1 and 20:1. Although indigenous microorganisms have the ability to degrade oil, adding nutrients accelerated biodegradation rates significantly. For the group amended with NO3-N and PO4-P in the ratio 10:1, the reaction rate coefficient was 4 times higher than the natural biodegradation.