Tenuazonic acid: a promising antitubercular principle from Alternaria alternate

Abstract

Bioactivity guided isolation of dichloromethane extract of Alternaria alternata identified tenuazonic acid (1) as potentially active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, MIC at 250 μg/mL concentration. This active metabolite 1, was also evaluated for osmotic hemolysis using the erythrocyte as a model system. It was observed that this fungal metabolite showing antitubercular activity exhibited concentration dependent toxicity to human erythrocytes.

Keywords

• Alternaria alternata, tenuazonic acid, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, antitubercular, toxicity, erythrocyte fragility