Immunomodulatory constituents from Ascomycetous fungi.

Our screening project, namely, search for new immunomodulatory constituents from Ascomycetous fungi, was guided by the effects on mitogen-induced proliferations of mouse spleen lymphocytes. On the project, the defatted crude extracts from Gelasinospora multiforis, G. heterospora, G. longispora, G. kobi, Diplogelasinospora grovesii, Emericella aurantio-brunnea, Eupenicillium crustaceum, etc., submitted to the solvent partition followed by fractionation with repeated chromatography monitored by immunomodulatory activity to afford many active constituents, of which molecular structures including absolute configurations and immunomodulatory activities were elucidated. All of these immunomodulatory constituents isolated on the project were practically not immunostimulants but immunosuppressants.