Antimalarial and antimicrobial substances from the endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum BCC71876.

Abstract

Three previously undescribed compounds including 2',3'-dihydroxy-4,5',4″-trimethoxy-p-terphenyl (1), 5-methoxyhydroperoxyco-chliodinol (2), and 5-(3',3'-dimethylallyl)indole-3-oxoacetic acid (17), along with fifteen known compounds (3 - 16 and 18), were isolated from the endophytic fungus, Chaetomium globosum BCC71876. The chemical structures were determined by NMR spectral information as well as the comparison with those closely related compounds reported in the literature. The compounds isolated were evaluated for biological properties including antimalarial, anti-TB, anti-plant pathogenic fungal, antibacterial, and cytotoxicity. The isolated compounds exhibited a wide range of biological activities against the tested cell lines and showed very low cytotoxicity against both cancerous (MCF-7 and NCI-H187) and non-cancerous (Vero) cells, except for compounds 5, 10, 11, 17, and 18 (IC₅₀ 0.47 - 114.8 µM). Cochliodinol (5) had the strongest antimalarial activity (IC₅₀ 4.39 µM), whereas chaetomugilin J (11) showed the strongest anti-TB activity (MIC 3.13 µg/mL).