Butyrolactone I, one of the major secondary metabolites of fungus Aspergillus terreus, is a selective cdc2 kinase inhibitor. In the present study, the metabolism of butyrolactone I in male Wistar rats was investigated by characterising metabolites excreted into faeces. Following an oral dose of 40 mg/kg butyrolactone I, two phase I metabolites were isolated from the faeces of rat. The new structure was identified on the spectroscopic data analysis. The new compound V1 and known compound V2 were tested for their cytotoxicity, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. V1 and V2 showed significant free radical scavenging ability. V2 also showed strong inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus.
Keywords: Benzophenone; butyrolactone I; rat metabolite.