Arohynapene A

A silkworm infection assay with the pathogenic fungus Rhizopus oryzae was established. Microbial culture broths were screened for anti-Rhizopus antibiotics using this assay. A new compound, tanzawaic acid R was isolated along with known and structurally related tanzawaic acids and arohynapene A from the culture broth of the hot spring-derived fungus Penicillium sp. BF-0005. The structure of tanzawaic acid R was elucidated by various spectroscopic data including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Tanzawaic acids A, B, C, and R and arohynapene A exhibited antifungal activity against R. oryzae. Tanzawaic acids A and B dose-dependently exerted therapeutic effects in the silkworm infection assay with R. oryzae.

Penicillium sp. FO-2295, a water isolate, was found to produce a series of new anticoccidial compounds. Two active compounds, designated arohynapenes A and B, were isolated from the fermentation broth of the producing strain by solvent extration and preparative HPLC. Arohynapene A was deduced to be (2E,4E)-5-(5-hydroxy-2,6,8-trimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphtale ne)-2,4- pentadienoic acid, and arohynapene B was (2E,4E)-5-(2-hydroxymethyl-6,8-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronapht alene)-2,4- pentadienoic acid. Arohynapenes inhibited the growth of Eimeria tenella in an in vitro assay using BHK-21 cells as a host. No schizont in the cells was observed at concentrations ranging above 35.0 microM and 7.0 microM for arohynapenes A and B, respectively.