Abstract:
Five novel
nor-eremophilane-type sesquiterpenoids, peniroqueforins E–H and J (
1–
4 and
7), two new eremophilane-type sesquiterpenoids, peniroqueforins I and K (
5 and
8), and a new eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoid, peniroqueforin L (
9), along with four known compounds (
6 and
10–
12), were isolated and characterized from fungus
Penicillium roqueforti (
P. roqueforti). The structures and absolute configurations of these compounds were determined through comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data analyses, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The anti-multi-drug resistance (MDR) cancer activity of these compounds was evaluated using SW620/Ad300 cells. Notably, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC
50) value of paclitaxel (PTX) combined with
1 in SW620/Ad300 cells was 50.36 nmol·L
−1, which was 65-fold more potent than PTX alone (IC
50 3.26 μmol·L
−1). Subsequent molecular docking studies revealed an affinity between compound
1 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), suggesting that this
nor-eremophilane-type sesquiterpenoid (
1) could serve as a potential lead for MDR reversal in cancer cells through P-gp inhibition.