ARS | Publication request: ARENARINS A-C: NEW CYTOTOXIC FUNGAL METABOLITES FROM THE SCLEROTIA OF ASPERGILLUS ARENARIUS

Submitted to: Journal of Natural Products
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: January 14, 1998
Publication Date: N/A

Interpretive Summary: There is an urgent need for new, environmentally safe pesticides. Our research has shown that fungal survival structures called sclerotia are a rich source of new chemicals with potential applications for agriculture and medicine. This paper describes three novel chemicals isolated from the sclerotia of Aspergillus arenarius that we have named arenarins. The arenarins exhibited mild activity in feeding assays against the dried fruit beetle Carpophilus hemipterus and cytotoxicity against human tumor cell lines in the National Cancer Institute's 60-tumor cell line panels.

Technical Abstract: Three new terphenyl-type metabolites, arenarins A-C (1-3), have been isolated from the sclerotia of Aspergillus arenarius (NRRL 5012). The structures of these compounds were elucidated by analysis of 1-D and 2-D NMR data. Arenarins A-C exhibited mild activity in feeding assays against the dried-fruit beetle Carpophilus hemipterus and cytotoxicity against human tumor cell lines.