Secondary metabolites from an algicolous Aspergillus versicolor strain

Two new compounds, asperversin A (1) and 9ξ-O-2(2,3-dimethylbut-3-enyl)brevianamide Q (2), and nine known compounds, brevianamide K (3), brevianamide M (4), aversin (5), 6,8-di-O-methylnidurufin (6), 6,8-di-O-methylaverufin (7), 6-O-methylaverufin (8), 5α,8α-epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-3β-ol (9), ergosta-7,22-diene-3β,5α,6β-triol (10), and 6β-methoxyergosta-7,22-diene-3β,5α-diol (11), were obtained from the culture of Aspergillus versicolor, an endophytic fungus isolated from the marine brown alga Sargassum thunbergii. The structures of these compounds were established by spectroscopic techniques. Compounds 4, 7 and 8 exhibited antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphyloccocus aureus, and 7 also showed lethality against brine shrimp (Artemia salina) with an LC₅₀ value of 0.5 μg/mL.