Sheptide A: an antimalarial cyclic pentapeptide from a fungal strain in the Herpotrichiellaceae
As part of ongoing efforts to isolate biologically active fungal metabolites, a cyclic pentapeptide, sheptide A (1), was discovered from strain MSX53339 (Herpotrichiellaceae). The structure and sequence of 1 were determined primarily by analysis of 2D NMR and HRMS/MS data, while the absolute configuration was assigned using a modified version of Marfey’s method. In an in vitro assay for antimalarial potency, 1 displayed a pEC50 value of 5.75 ± 0.49 against malaria-causing Plasmodium falciparum. Compound 1 was also tested in a counter screen for general cytotoxicity against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), yielding a pCC50 value of 5.01 ± 0.45 and indicating a selectivity factor of ~6. This makes 1 the third known cyclic pentapeptide biosynthesized by fungi with antimalarial activity.
Robert A Shepherd, Cody E Earp, Kristof B Cank, Huzefa A Raja, Joanna Burdette, Steven P Maher, Adriana A Marin, Anthony A Ruberto, Sarah Lee Mai, Blaise A Darveaux, Dennis E Kyle, Cedric J Pearce, Nicholas H Oberlies. J Antibiot (Tokyo). 2023 Sep 20. doi: 10.1038/s41429-023-00655-6.