Funiculosone, a substituted dihydroxanthene-1,9-dione with two of its analogues produced by an endolichenic fungus Talaromyces funiculosus and their antimicrobial activity.

An undescribed substituted dihydroxanthene-1,9-dione, named funiculosone, was isolated together with its two analogues identified as mangrovamide J and ravenelin, from the culture filtrates of Talaromyces funiculosus (Thom) Samson, Yilmaz, Frisvad & Seifert (Trichocomaceae), an endolichenic fungus isolated from lichen thallus of Diorygma hieroglyphicum (Pers.) Staiger & Kalb (Graphidaceae), in India. Funiculosone was characterized, essentially by spectroscopic methods, as 4,8,9a-trihydroxy-3,4a-dimethyl-4a,9a-dihydro-4H-xanthene-1,9-dione. Its relative stereochemistry was deduced by single crystal X-ray analysis while the absolute configuration was assigned as 4S,4aS,9aS by ECD spectra in comparison to that of the closely related mangrovamide J. This latter, to which, not being an amide, an inappropriate common name was given, was only recently isolated, together with undescribed and known prenylatedindole alkaloids and chromone derivatives from an unidentified Penicillium sp. X-ray structural analysis of the isolated mangrovamide J, for which no biological activity was previously reported, revealed polymorphism and a new crystalline phase is described. All the compounds displayed antibacterial activity with an IC50 range 23-104 μg/mL when assayed against Escherichia coli Escherich and Staphylococcus aureus Ogston. Funiculosone also showed anticandidal activity against Candida albicans Berkhout with an IC50 35 μg/mL.