New Cytotoxic Meroterpenoids from the Plant Endophytic Fungus Pestalotiopsis fici

Abstract

AbstractPestalofones I – K (1–3), three new dimeric meroterpenoids with 2‐(7‐benzoyl‐2,3‐dihydrobenzofuran‐2‐yl)‐1‐phenylethan‐1‐one (in 1) and 2‐(7‐benzoyl‐2,3‐dihydrobenzofuran‐2‐yl)‐1‐(3,8‐dioxatricyclo[5.1.0.02,4]oct‐4‐yl)ethan‐1‐one (in 2 and 3) skeletons, were isolated from the solid cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. The structures of 1–3 were elucidated by NMR experiments. Compound 1 was found to be present as a racemic mixture. The absolute configurations of 2 and 3 were deduced by analogy to the previously isolated metabolites pestalofones G and H (4 and 5) from the same fungus. Biogenetically, compounds 1–3 are derived from the same precursors (co‐isolated compounds 9 and 10) as the previously isolated compounds 4–8. Compounds 2 and 3 showed weak cytotoxic activities against four human tumor cell lines T24, HeLa, A549, and MCF‐7.