A new lovastatin analogue versicorin (1), together with three related compounds, decumbenones A (2) and B (3) and versiol (4), were isolated from mycelial solid cultures of Aspergillus versicolor SC0156. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of MS data and NMR spectroscopic analysis. The new compound versicorin (1) possesses a hexahydro-2H-naphtho[1,8-bc]furan moiety, which is a rare type of the lovastatin-analogous compounds. A hypothetical biosynthetic pathway for compounds 1-4 was proposed.
Keywords: Aspergillus versicolor; lovastatin analogue; secondary metabolites; soil fungus.