Sorbicillinoids from Fungi and Their Bioactivities

The sorbicillinoids are a family of hexaketide metabolites that have been isolated from a variety of fungal sources, collected from both marine and terrestrial sources. Since 1948, the family has grown in size to include over 50 members, many of which have complex, highly oxygenated, bicyclic and tricyclic frameworks. In conjunction with their biological activity, the structural complexity of these structures has inspired several synthetic campaigns and has also led to controversy surrounding the biosynthetic pathway responsible for the natural production of these compounds. Through this review, we aim to give a historical perspective to each of these areas and hope to inspire new avenues of research for addressing the knowledge gaps that still exist.

The incidence of many diseases rises sharply with age. Although clearly separable, ageing and certain age-related diseases might share common mechanisms. Cellular metabolism and subsequent generation of reactive oxygen species might contribute both to the rate at which we age and to our susceptibility to numerous chronic diseases, therefore therapies that directly target the ageing process might provide new ways to treat human diseases.

Two novel sorbicillinoids combining a bicyclo[2.2.2]octane with a 2-methoxyphenol moiety, named sorbicatechols A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the culture of the marine sediment-derived fungus Penicillium chrysogenum PJX-17, together with the known protocatechuic acid methyl ester and caffeic acid methyl ester (3). Their structures, including absolute configurations, were assigned by analysis of NMR, MS data, and TDDFT ECD calculations. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited activities against influenza virus A (H1N1), with IC50 values of 85 and 113 μ M, respectively.