Naphthoquinone spiroketals and organic extracts from the endophytic fungus Edenia gomezpompae as potential herbicides.

From the fermentation mycelium of the endophytic fungus Edenia gomezpompae were obtained several phytotoxic compounds including two new members of the naphthoquinone spiroketal family, namely, palmarumycin EG1 (1) and preussomerin EG4 (4). In addition, preussomerins EG1-EG3 (7-9) and palmarumycins CP19 (2), CP17 (3), and CP2 (6), as well as ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one (5), were obtained. Compounds 2, 3, and 5 are new to this species. The structures of palmarumycins CP19 (2) and CP17 (3) were unambiguously determined by X-ray analysis. The isolates and mycelium organic extracts from four morphological variants of E. gomezpompae caused significant inhibition of seed germination, root elongation, and seedling respiration of Amaranthus hypochondriacus, Solanum lycopersicum, and Echinochloa crus-galli. The treatments also affected respiration on intact mitochondria isolated from spinach.