New Bis-Alkenoic Acid Derivatives from a Marine-Derived Fungus Fusarium solani H915.

Fusarium solani H915 is a fungus derived from mangrove sediments. From its ethyl acetate extract, a new alkenoic acid, fusaridioic acid A (1), three new bis-alkenoic acid esters, namely, fusariumester A₁ (2), A₂ (3) and B (4), together with three known compounds (5⁻7), were isolated. The structures of the new compounds were comprehensively characterized by high resolution electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS), 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Additionally, the antifungal activities against tea pathogenic fungi Pestalotiopsis theae and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides were studied. The new compound, 4, containing a β-lactone ring, exhibited moderate inhibitory activity against P. theae, with an MIC of 50 μg/disc. Hymeglusin ( 6 ), a typical β-lactone antibiotic and a terpenoid alkaloid, equisetin (7), exhibited potent inhibitory activities against both fungal species. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their effects on zebrafish embryo development. Equisetin clearly imparted toxic effect on zebrafish even at low concentrations. However, none of the alkenoic acid derivatives exhibited significant toxicity to zebrafish eggs, embryos, or larvae. Thus, the β-lactone containing alkenoic acid derivatives from F. solani H915 are low in toxicity and are potent antifungal agents against tea pathogenic fungi.
Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare. The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript and in the decision to publish the results.