Studies on the Chemical Diversities of Secondary Metabolites Produced by Neosartorya fischeri via the OSMAC Method

The One Strain Many Compounds (OSMAC) method was applied to explore the chemical diversities of secondary metabolites produced by NRRL 181. Four pyripyropenes ⁻ , eight steroids ⁻ , and four prenylated indole alkaloids ⁻ , were obtained from the fungus cultured in petri dishes containing potato dextrose agar (PDA). 1,7,11-trideacetylpyripyropene A ( ) and 1,11-dideacetyl pyripyropene A ( ) were obtained and spectroscopically characterized (1D, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS) from a natural source for the first time. It offered a sustainable source of these two compounds, which were usually used as starting materials in preparing pyripyropene derivatives. In addition, as compared with all the other naturally occurring pyripyropenes, and possessed unique acetylation patterns that did not follow the established late-step biosynthetic rules of pyripyropenes. The natural occurrence of and in the fungus implied that the timing and order of hydroxylation and acetylation in the late-step biosynthetic pathway of pyripyropenes remained to be revealed. The isolation and identification of ⁻ indicated that the OSMAC method could remarkably alter the metabolic profile and enrich the chemical diversities of fungal metabolites. Compounds ⁻ exhibited no obvious cytotoxicity against the triple-negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 as compared with taxol.