Five new diisoprenyl cyclohexene-type meroterpenoids, aspergienynes J-N (1-5), along with three known analogues (6-8), were obtained from the mangrove endophytic fungal strain Aspergillus sp. GXNU-Y85. The chemical structures, including their absolute configurations, were established via spectroscopic data and comparison of experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Cytotoxicity assay results indicated that compound 8 had strong cytotoxicity against HeLa cancer cells, and its IC50 value was 11.8 μM. In addition, flow cytometry analysis revealed that the cytotoxicity of 8 was due to the induction of G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HeLa cells.
Keywords: Aspergillus sp.; anti-cancer activity; mangrove endophytic fungus; meroterpenoids.