Toxicity, Analysis, and Production of Aspergillic Acid and its Analogues

Abstract

A differential analysis, utilizing the decomposition of 3,6-disubstituted-1-hydroxy-2(1H) pyrazinones (HPYs) by ultraviolet light, was developed to measure low concentrations of total HPYs (aspergillic acid and/or its analogues) in cultures.Two strains of Aspergillus flavus were found to differ in their ability to produce aflatoxins and HPYs on liquid media composed of 2% yeast extract and varying amounts of sucrose. Production of HPYs by both strains was best in the absence of sucrose and production of aflatoxins was best on media containing 10–20% sucrose. The better producer of HPYs was strain PRL 932, but when it was grown on moist seeds of peas, barley, maize, or wheat, it produced only traces of these compounds.In a separate study, two analogues of aspergillic acid were tested for toxicity in mice. The toxicity of a novel analogue, 3-(2-(methylthio)-ethyl)-6-sec-butyl-1-hydroxy-2(1H) pyrazinone, was the same as that of a more common analogue, neoaspergillic acid.