Maria Michela Salvatorea, Marina Della Grecaa, Monica Gallob, Rosario Nicolettic, Daniele Naviglioa, Anna Andolfia

aDipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80126 Napoli, Italy;
bDipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80131 Napoli, Italy;
cConsiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria, Caserta, Italy.

Diplodia (Dothideomycetes, Botryosphaeriaceae) is a widespread genus of fungi, with more than 1000 described species. Over the years, these species have been reported as pathogens or endophytes of many woody plants. Moreover, these fungi represent prolific sources of bioactive products with huge structural variability and bioactivities [1]. However, due to their extraordinary capacity for synthesizing bioactive compounds, the list of secondary metabolites from Diplodia species is in continuous update which proves the great interest of researchers from all over the world on the metabolic potential of this fungal genus. In this work, a strain of Diplodia corticola isolated from Quercus suber in Algeria was investigated in order to increase our knowledge on secondary metabolism of this fungal species. 

Hence, an undescribed 5,6-dihydropyran-2-one, namely diplopyrone C, was isolated through a chromatographic purification process and its structure was determined by spectroscopic methods. This compound has a captivating chemical structure composed of an α-pyrone functionalized with a side chain containing an epoxide ring. These structural features make diplopyrone C an excellent candidate of an investigational activity aimed at the discovery of new bioactive compounds. In addition, ten known compounds have been isolated and identified in this study, including sphaeropsidins which are well-known members of the family of pimarane diterpenes.

Keywords: Specialized Metabolites, Phytopathogen, Chromatographic Purification

References

1. Salvatore, M.M., Masi, M. and Andolfi, A. Phytochemistry Reviews (2024), pp.1-25. DOI: 10.1007/s11101-024-09979-z