Bioactive secondary metabolites from a soybean-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor IMBC-NMTP02

In the present study, 10 secondary metabolites, including three new asperversilactones A–C (2, 4, and 5) and two new natural metabolites (4Z,6S,7R)-6,7-dihydroxyocta-2,4-dien-4-lactone (1) and (4E,6S,7R)-6,7-dihydroxyocta-2,4-dien-4-lactone (3) were isolated from a culture fermentation of the soybean-derived fungus Aspergillus versicolor IMBC-NMTP02. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive analyses of spectroscopic methods, including NMR, mass, and ECD spectra. Compounds 5, 6, and 9 were shown to have cytotoxic effects toward the HepG2, KB, HL-60, MCF-7, SK-Mel-2, and LNCaP human cancer cell lines (IC50 = 31.7–81.5 μM), whereas all of the compounds inhibited NO overproduction in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells (IC50 = 19.0–41.9 μM). Furthermore, all of the compounds showed antimicrobial effects against Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans, with MIC values in the range of 32–256 μM. Our investigation contributes to clarification of the chemical constituents of the soybean-derived A. versicolor and warrants further studies of some bioactive metabolites for therapeutic uses.