Antifungal chromans inhibiting the mitochondrial respiratory chain of pea seeds and new xanthones from Calophyllum caledonicum.

ABSTRACT

Two new xanthones, caledonixanthone M 1 and caloxanthone L 2, and one new acid, caledonic acid 6 were isolated from the hexane-soluble extract of the stem bark of Calophyllum caledonicum. In the course of this phytochemical study, seven other known compounds - calothwaitesixanthone, calozeyloxanthone, allanxanthone, isoapetalic acid 3, calolongic acid 4, apetalic acid 5 and isocalolongic acid 7 - were isolated. Their antifungal activity against the growth of the human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus was then investigated. The results indicated that the crude extract, calolongic acid 4 and isocalolongic acid 7 exhibited strong inhibitory effects with MIC (80) values of 8, 4, 2 microg/mL, respectively. Besides, calolongic acid 4, its lactone derivative 4a and isocalolongic acid 7 markedly reduced the respiration of pea seed mitochondria.