A new enniatin antibiotic from the endophyte Fusarium tricinctum Corda

Abstract

Enniatins (ENs), a group of antibiotics commonly produced by various strains of Fusarium, are six-membered cyclic depsipeptides formed by the union of three molecules of D-α-hydroxyisovaleric acid and three N-methyl-L-amino acids. The endophyte Fusarium tricinctum Corda was isolated from the fruits of Hordeum sativum Jess. and cultivated on a rice medium. The fungal metabolites were extracted with methanol and were identified, employing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry as ENs A, A1, B, B1, B2 and Q. EN Q is a new analog of EN A and the occurrence of EN B2 is reported for the first time from this endophyte, in addition to four well-known ENs (A, A1, B and B1). The methanol extract of F. tricinctum showed mild antibacterial and antileishmanial activities. Additionally the tested extract displayed inhibition of the activity of thioredoxin reductase enzyme of Plasmodium falciparum.