Pleofungins, novel inositol phosphorylceramide synthase inhibitors, from Phoma sp. SANK 13899. I. Taxonomy, fermentation, isolation, and biological activities.

In the course of a screening for inositol phosphorylceramide (IPC) synthase inhibitors, the novel inhibitors pleofungins A, B, C, and D were found in a mycelial extract of a fungus, Phoma sp. SANK13899. Purification was performed by 50% methanol and ethyl acetate extraction, reversed phase open-column chromatography, and HPLC separations. Pleofungin A inhibited the IPC synthase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus fumigatus at IC(50) values of 16 and 1.0 ng/ml, respectively. The inhibitor also suppressed the growth of Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and A. fumigatus at MIC values of 2.0, 0.3, and 0.5 mug/ml, respectively. These biological properties indicate that pleofungins belong to a novel class of IPC synthase inhibitors efficacious against A. fumigatus.