Biologically active drimane derivatives isolated from submerged cultures of the wood-inhabiting basidiomycete Dentipellis fragilis

Four previously undescribed drimane sesquiterpenoids were isolated from submerged cultures of the wood-inhabiting basidiomycete Dentipellis fragilis along with two compounds that were previously reported as synthetic or biotransformation compounds but not as natural products. The constitution and relative configuration of these compounds was determined based on high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry as well as by 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The absolute configurations were established based on exemplary calculation of circular dichroism spectra and comparison with measured data as well as on biogenetic considerations. The biological activities of the isolated compounds were assessed in antimicrobial, cytotoxicity and neurotrophic assays. 10-Methoxycarbonyl-10-norisodrimenin (3) exhibited weak activity against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and the zygomycete Mucor hiemalis with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 66.7 μg mL(−1). In addition, compound 3 showed weak inhibition of the mammalian cell line KB3.1 (human endocervical adenocarcinoma) with a half maximal inhibitory concentration of 21.2 μM. The neurotrophic activities of 15-hydroxyisodrimenin (1) and 10-carboxy-10-norisodrimenin (5) were assed in neurite outgrowth and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays. When supplemented with 5 ng mL(−1) nerve growth factor (NGF), the drimanes 1 and 5 induced neurite outgrowth in PC-12 (rat pheochromocytoma) cells compared to cells solely treated with NGF. As evaluated by RT-qPCR, compounds 1 and 5 also increased NGF and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression levels in 1321N1 astrocytoma cells. Interestingly, the current study only represents the second report on neurotrophic activities of this widespread class of terpenoids. The only other available study deals with Cyathus africanus, another basidiomycete that can produce drimanes and cyathanes, but is only distantly related to Dentipellis and the Hericiaceae.