Phomol, a New Antiinflammatory Metabolite from an Endophyte of the Medicinal Plant Erythrina crista-galli

Phomol (1), a novel antibiotic, was isolated from fermentations of a Phomopsis species in the course of a screening of endophytic fungi from the medicinal plant Erythrina crista-galli. For this Argentinean leguminosa antiinflammatory and neuroleptic activities have been described. The compound exhibits antifungal, antibacterial and weak cytotoxic acticity. The antiinflammatory activity was tested in different reporter gene assays (TNF-alpha, STAT1/STAT2 and NF-kappaB) and in an ear edema model in mice. In the reporter gene assays 1 exhibited no activity, whereas 1 showed interesting antiinflammatory activity in the mouse ear assay. The compound is a polyketide lactone and its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic methods.