Seven previously unreported cyclonerane derivatives, namely, 3,7,11-trihydroxycycloneran-10-one, cycloneran-3,7,10,11-tetraol, cycloneran-3,7,11-triol, 11,12,15-trinorcycloneran-3,7,10-triol, 7,10S-epoxycycloneran-3,15-diol, 7,10R-epoxycycloneran-3,15-diol, and (10Z)-15-acetoxy-10-cycloneren-3,7-diol, were isolated in addition to the known (10Z)-cyclonerotriol, (10E)-cyclonerotriol, catenioblin C, and chokol E from the culture of Trichoderma asperellum A-YMD-9-2, an endophytic fungus obtained from the marine red alga Gracilaria verrucosa. The structures of previously unreported compounds were established by spectroscopic techniques, including 1D/2D NMR, MS, and IR. The isolation of these new cyclonerane derivatives greatly adds to the structural diversity of unusual cyclonerane sesquiterpenes, and several isolates exhibit potent inhibition against some marine phytoplankton species.
Keywords: Trichoderma asperellum; cyclonerane; sesquiterpene.