Identification of Novel Sphydrofuran-Derived Derivatives with Lipid-Lowering Activity from the Active Crude Extracts of Nocardiopsis sp. ZHD001

Lipid-lowering is one of the most effective methods of prevention and treatment for cardiovascular diseases. However, most clinical lipid-lowering drugs have adverse effects and cannot achieve the desired efficacy in some complex hyperlipidemia patients, so it is of great significance to develop safe and effective novel lipid-lowering drugs. In the course of our project aimed at discovering the chemical novelty and bioactive natural products of marine-derived actinomycetes, we found that the organic crude extracts (OCEs) of Nocardiopsis sp. ZHD001 exhibited strong in vivo efficacies in reducing weight gain, lowering LDL-C, TC, and TG levels, and improving HDL-C levels in high-fat-diet-fed mice models. Chemical investigations of the active OCEs led to identifying two new sphydrofuran-derived compounds (1–2) and one known 2-methyl-4-(1-glycerol)-furan (3). Their structures were elucidated by the analysis of HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data, and ECD calculations. Among these compounds, compound 1 represents a novel rearranged sphydrofuran-derived derivative. Bioactivity evaluations of these pure compounds showed that all the compounds exhibited significant lipid-lowering activity with lower cytotoxicity in vitro compared to simvastatin. Our results demonstrate that sphydrofuran-derived derivatives might be promising candidates for lipid-lowering drugs.