Cytotoxic and Antimicrobial Secondary Metabolites from Penicillium hetheringtonii IMBC-NMTP04

Chemical investigation of the sesame-associated fungal strain Penicillium hetheringtonii IMBC-NMTP04 resulted in isolation of five compounds, penicitrinone A (1), dihydrocitrinin (2), janthinone (3), coniochaetone B (4), and 9-oxo-10(E),12(E)-octadecadienoic acid (5). Their chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectra in comparison with the literature data. Compound 1 showed modest cytotoxicity toward LNCaP, HepG2, MCF-7, KB, SK-Mel-2, and HL-60 human cancer cell lines, with IC50 values ranging from 60.1 to 84.2 mM while 5 was cytotoxic toward only HL-60 cell line (IC50 = 71.6 mM). All the compounds significantly inhibited E. faecalis, S. enterica, and C. albicans growth, with MIC values ranging from 12.5 to 50.0 mM. Compounds 2, 4, and 5 suppressed the growth of B. cereus, while both 1 and 2 showed antimicrobial effect against E. coli, with the same MIC value of 200 mM. This is the first time to report the chemical constituents of Penicillium hetheringtonii and the antimicrobial effect of 2–4.