Four new drimane sesquiterpenoids (1-4) and three known ones (5-7) were isolated from the fermentation broth of the mangrove-derived Aspergillus ustus 094102. Compound 5 was further resolved as four purified compounds 5a-5d. By means of extensive spectroscopic and ECD analysis as well as the chemical transformation, their structures were identified as (2R,3R,5S,9R,10S)-2,3,9,11-tetrahydroxydrim-7-en-6-one (ustusol F, 1), (2R,3R,5R,9S,10R)-2,3,11-trihydroxydrim-7-en-6-one (9-deoxyustusol F, 2), (3S,5R,9R,10R)-3,11,12-trihydroxydrim-7-en-6-one (ustusol G, 3), (5S,6R,9S,10S, 11R,2'E,4'E)-(11-dideoxy-11-hydroxystrobilactone A-6-yl)-5-carboxypenta-2,4-dienoate (ustusolate H, 4), ((5S,6R,9S,10S)-strobilactone A-6-yl) (2E,4E)-6,7-dihydroxyocta-2,4-dienoate (ustusolate I, 5), (2'E,4'E;6',7'-erythro)-ustusolate I (5a) and (2'E,4'E;ent-6',7'-erythro)-ustusolate I (5b), (2'E,4'E,6'R,7'R)-ustusolate I (5c) and (2'E,4'E,6'S,7'S)-ustusolate I (5d), (5S,6R,9S,10S,2'E,4'E)-(strobilactone A-6-yl)-5-carboxypenta-2,4-dienoate (ustusolate J, 6), and (2S,5S,9R,10S)-2,9,11-trihydroxydrim-7-en-6-one (ustusol B, 7), respectively. Compound 5 showed antiproliferation against the human tumor cells CAL-62 and MG-63 with the IC50 values of 16.3 and 10.1 µM, respectively.
Keywords: Aspergillus ustus; absolute configuration; antiproliferation; drimane sesquiterpenoids; mangrove-derived fungus.