Novel sesquiterpene ethers from liquid cultures of the wood-rotting fungus lentinus lepideus

Abstract

The brown-rot fungus Lentinus lepideus (Fr.: Fr.) Fr. FPRL 7B (Basidiomycotina) was cultivated on a defined synthetic liquid medium containing glucose (2%), isoleucine (0.15%), and mineral salts for 105 days. The steam distillate was separated by column chromatography. Three novel sesquiterpene ethers with muurolane skeleton (lentideusether, isolentideusether, and 10-hydroxylentideusether) were isolated and their structures elucidated by spectroscopic methods, in particular by 1H NMR spectra and by two-dimensional 1H/1H- and 13C/1H-chemical shift correlation. These compounds are described for the first time as natural products. As a further metabolite, the acyclic sesquiterpene alcohol terrestrol was identified