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Chlovalicin B, A Chlorinated Sesquiterpene Isolated from the Marine Mushroom Digitatispora Marina

Summary

Scientists discovered a new chemical compound produced by a marine mushroom found growing on driftwood in Norway. This is significant because it’s the first time any compound has been isolated from this genus of marine fungi. The compound shows some ability to kill melanoma cancer cells, though the effect is relatively weak. This research helps expand our understanding of marine organisms as potential sources of new medicines. Impacts on everyday life: • Demonstrates the potential of marine organisms as sources of new drug candidates • Advances our understanding of marine fungi and their chemical products • Contributes to cancer research by identifying compounds with anti-cancer properties • Shows the importance of exploring understudied organisms for new chemical discoveries • Highlights the value of preserving marine biodiversity for medical research

Background

Marine fungi are an understudied but promising source of novel bioactive compounds. The genus Digitatispora consists of two marine mushroom species that grow on and decay marine-submerged wood. While the distribution of D. marina has been studied, its biosynthetic potential had not yet been assessed prior to this research.

Objective

To search for novel bioactive metabolites from understudied Arctic marine fungi by investigating compounds produced by Digitatispora marina through cultivation, extraction, isolation and structure elucidation of its metabolites.

Results

A novel chlorinated metabolite named chlovalicin B was isolated and its structure was determined. This represents the first compound isolated from the Digitatispora genus and the first fumagillin/ovalicin-like compound isolated from Basidiomycota. The compound displayed weak cytotoxic activity against human melanoma cell line A2058 (~50% survival at 50 μM) but showed no significant antibacterial, antifungal or anti-inflammatory activities.

Conclusion

This study provides the first report of compounds isolated from the Digitatispora genus and demonstrates the biosynthetic potential of marine fungi sensu stricto, particularly obligate marine Basidiomycetes. The isolation of chlovalicin B adds valuable knowledge about marine fungal natural products.
  • Published in:Molecules,
  • Study Type:Laboratory Research,
  • Source: 10.3390/molecules26247560
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