From the organic extracts of five bacterial strains isolated from marine sediments collected in the East Mediterranean Sea, three new (15, 16, 31) and twenty-nine previously reported (1-14, 17-30, 32) metabolites bearing the 2,5-diketopiperazine skeleton were isolated. The structures of the chlorinated compounds 15, 16, and 31 were elucidated by extensive analysis of their spectroscopic data (NMR, MS, UV, IR). Compounds 15 and 16 were evaluated for their antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger but were proven inactive. The relevant literature is supplemented with complete NMR assignments and revisions for the 29 previously reported compounds.
Keywords: 2,5-diketopiperazine; antifungal activity evaluation; marine bacteria; natural products; sediment; structure elucidation.