Ent-homocyclopiamine B (1), a new prenylated indole alkaloid bearing an alicyclic nitro group along with 2-methylbutane-1,2,4-triol (2) were isolated from an endophytic fungus Penicillium concentricum of the liverwort Trichocolea tomentella (Trichocoleaceae). The structure of 1 was elucidated through extensive spectroscopic analyses and comparison with data reported for a structurally related nitro-bearing Penicillium metabolite, clopiamine C (3), which contain an indolizidine ring instead of the quinolizine ring in 1. The new compound, ent-homocyclopiamine B, exhibited slight growth inhibition against Gram-positive bacteria. Based on the reported biosynthesis of related compounds and the isolation of the mevalonic acid derived compound 2-methyl-1,2,4-butanetriol (2), we proposed that ent-homocylopiamine B (1) was biosynthesized from lysine and prenyl group-producing mevalonic pathway.
Keywords: Penicillium; antimicrobial; endophyte; fungus; indole alkaloid; liverwort; metabolite.