One new hydroanthraquinone dimer with a rare C-9-C-7' linkage, nigrodiquinone A (1), and four known anthraquinone monomers 2-5, were isolated from a fungus Nigrospora sp. obtained from the zoanthid Palythoa haddoni collected in the South China Sea. The structure of 1 was established through extensive NMR spectroscopy, and the absolute configuration was elucidated by comparing computed electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and optical rotations (OR) with experimental results. All the compounds were evaluated for antiviral activity, and 1 was also evaluated for antibacterial activity. Compound 4 displayed mild antiviral activity against coxsackie virus (Cox-B3) with the IC50 value of 93.7 μM, and 5 showed an IC50 value of 74.0 μM against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Keywords: Nigrospora sp.; antibacterial; antiviral; hydroanthraquinone dimer; zoanthid Palythoa haddoni.