Abstract:
Seven new sesquiterpenes, named penicipenoids A−G (
1−
7), were isolated from rice-based fermentation cultures of the marine sponge-derived fungus
Penicillium sp. 5975, together with ten known analogues (
8−
17). Their structures were elucidated using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, supported by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Penicipenoid A (
1) features an unprecedented sesquiterpene scaffold characterized by a tricyclo4.4.1
1,60
2,7hendecane core. Penicipenoid D (
4) contains an unusual furan substructure within the cadinane-type sesquiterpenoid class, while penicipenoid F (
6) represents a rare norsesquiterpene derivative lacking the carbon atom at the C-7 position. The
in vivo anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of these compounds were evaluated using transgenic fluorescent zebrafish models. Penicipenoids A−C (
1−
3) exhibited anti-oxidant activity in metronidazole (MTZ)-treated transgenic zebrafish embryos, whereas penicipenoid E (
5) demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory activity in CuSO
4-induced transgenic fluorescent zebrafish embryos.