Two new p-terphenyl derivatives from the marine fungal strain Aspergillus sp. AF119.

Two new p-terphenyl derivatives (1, 2), together with six known ones (3-8), have been isolated from the marine fungal strain Aspergillus sp. AF119. The structures for terphyl acid (1) and terphyl diacid (2) were determined on the basis of HR Q-TOF-MS, and 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic data. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of compounds 1-8 were tested against human tumor cell lines HeLa, HepG-2 and MDA-MB-435; only compounds 5-8 exhibited inhibitory activity against the tested cell lines with IC50 values < 20 microM. Moreover, compound 5 showed a mechanism of inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis mediated by the generation of ROS and subsequent DNA double-strand break.