Cerinolactone, a hydroxy-lactone derivative from Trichoderma cerinum.

A novel metabolite, 3-hydroxy-5-(6-isopropyl-3-methylene-3,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydronaphthalen-2-yl)dihydrofuran-2-one, trivially named cerinolactone (1), has been isolated from culture filtrates of Trichoderma cerinum together with three known butenolides containing the 3,4-dialkylfuran-2(5H)-one nucleus, harzianolide (2), T39butenolide (3), and dehydroharzianolide (4). The structure of 1 was determined by spectroscopic methods, including UV, MS, and 1D and 2D NMR analyses. In vitro tests with the purified compound exhibited activity against Pythium ultimum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Botrytis cinerea.