Isolation of Bioactive Metabolites from Soil Derived Fungus-Aspergillus fumigatus

Abstract

Fungi produce numerous secondary metabolites with intriguing biological properties for the health, industrial, and agricultural sectors. Herein, we report the high-yield isolation of phenolic natural products, N-formyl-4-hydroxyphenyl-acetamide <b>1</b> (~117 mg/L) and atraric acid <b>2</b> (~18 mg/L), from the ethyl acetate extract of the soil-derived fungus, <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i>. The structures of compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> were elucidated through the detailed spectroscopic analysis of NMR and LCMS data. These compounds were assayed for their antimicrobial activities. It was observed that compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b> exhibited strong inhibition against a series of fungal strains but only weak antibacterial properties against multi-drug-resistant strains. More significantly, this is the first known instance of the isolation of atraric acid <b>2</b> from a non-lichen fungal strain. We suggest the optimization of this fungal strain may exhibit elevated production of compounds <b>1</b> and <b>2</b>, potentially rendering it a valuable source for the industrial-scale production of these natural antimicrobial compounds. Further investigation is necessary to establish the veracity of this hypothesis.