13α–Hydroxylucilactaene and Other Metabolites of an Endophytic Strain of Fusarium acuminatum

A liquid fermentation culture of Fusarium acuminatum, endophytic in the root of Larrea tritentata, afforded a new furanopyrrolidone, 13α–hydroxylucilactaene (1), together with four known metabolites, NG–391 (2), NG–393 (3), enniatin A (4), and enniatin B (5). The structure and relative stereochemistry of 1 was established by extensive NMR spectral analysis and the known compounds 2 – 5 were identified by comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature. The cytotoxicity of all compounds was evaluated in a panel of five human cancer cell lines [NCI–H460 (non-small cell lung), MCF–7 (breast), SF–268 (CNS glioma), MIA Pa Ca–2 (pancreatic carcinoma), PC-3M (metastatic prostate cancer)] and normal human fibroblast (WI–38) cells, and only enniatins A (4) and B (5) were shown to have significant cytotoxic activity.