Three new sesquiterpenes, phlebidiol, phlebioic acid, and phlebiolide, as well as the known compound tremetriol, were isolated from cultures of the basidiomycete Phlebia tremellosa. The structures of all isolated compounds were established by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including those involving extensive two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance. The absolute configurations of phlebidiol, phlebioic acid, and phlebiolide were determined by comparisons of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra. Phlebidiol and phlebioic acid have previously unreported carbon skeletons, for which we propose the skeletal names "seco-sterpurane" and "phlebiane," respectively. Phlebiolide is also the second published example of a merulane sesquiterpene.
Keywords: Basidiomycetes; Phlebia tremellosa; Phlebiane; Seco-sterpurane; Sesquiterpenoids.