Sphaerolone and dihydrosphaerolone, two bisnaphthyl-pigments from the fungus Sphaeropsidales sp. F-24'707.

Two new bisnaphthalene compounds, sphaerolone (1) and dihydrosphaerolone (2), together with 2-hydroxyjuglone (9), were isolated from the culture broth of a Sphaeropsidales sp. (strain F-24'707) after inhibition of the regular proceeding 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) biosynthesis with tricyclazole. The structures of 1 and 2 were established by detailed spectroscopic analysis and present novel bisnaphthalenes. The biosynthetic origin of 1 and 2 as dimerization products of 1,3,8-trihydroxynaphthalene, an intermediate of the DHN biosynthesis, is discussed.