SECONDARY METABOLITES BY CHEMICAL SCREENING. 8 DECARESTRICTINES, A NEW FAMILY OF INHIBITORS OF CHOLESTEROL BIOSYNTHESIS FROM PENICILLIUM: I. STRAIN DESCRIPTION, FERMENTATION, ISOLATION AND PROPERTIES

A family of new 10-membered lactones was detected by chemical screening. Taxonomic studies and fermentation conditions of the producing organisms, which belong to the species Penicillium simplicissimum and Penicillium corylophilum, are presented. The isolation as well as physico-chemical data of the new compounds named decarestrictines A to D are reported. In vitro testing using the HEP-G2 cell assay showed the decarestrictines to be inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis, which could be confirmed in vivo. In addition to the decarestrictines from P. corylophilum epoxyagroclavine-I (1) was isolated.