New communesin derivatives from the fungus Penicillium sp. derived from the Mediterranean sponge Axinella verrucosa.

The ethyl acetate extract of Penicillium sp., derived from the Mediterranean sponge Axinella verrucosa, yielded the known compound communesin B (1) and its new congeners communesins C (2) and D (3), as well as the known compounds griseofulvin, dechlorogriseofulvin, and oxaline. All structures were unambiguously established by 1D and 2D NMR and MS data. In several bioassays performed on different leukemia cell lines, the communesins exhibited moderate antiproliferative activity.