Aethiopinolones A–E, New Pregnenolone Type Steroids from the East African Basidiomycete Fomitiporia aethiopica
Clara Chepkirui,
Winnie C. Sum,
Tian Cheng,
Josphat C. Matasyoh,
Cony Decock,
Marc Stadler
Affiliations
Clara Chepkirui
Department of Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover/Braunschweig, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
Winnie C. Sum
Department of Biochemistry, Egerton University, P.O. BOX 536, Njoro 20115, Kenya
Tian Cheng
Department of Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover/Braunschweig, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
Josphat C. Matasyoh
Department of Chemistry, Egerton University, P.O. BOX 536, Njoro 20115, Kenya
Cony Decock
Mycothéque de l’ Universite Catholique de Louvain (BCCM/MUCL), Place Croix du Sud 3, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Marc Stadler
Department of Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover/Braunschweig, Inhoffenstrasse 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
A mycelial culture of the Kenyan basidiomycete Fomitiporia aethiopica was fermented on rice and the cultures were extracted with methanol. Subsequent HPLC profiling and preparative chromatography of its crude extract led to the isolation of five previously undescribed pregnenolone type triterpenes 1–5, for which we propose the trivial name aethiopinolones A–E. The chemical structures of the aethiopinolones were determined by extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR, and HRMS data analysis. The compounds exhibited moderate cytotoxic effects against various human cancer cell lines, but they were found devoid of significant nematicidal and antimicrobial activities.