Terphenyls metabolites

As a further example of the promising properties of / terphenyl metabolites, we wish to mention here the benzofuranoid compounds isolated from the fruiting bodies of Poliporus leucomelas, and in particular Bl-III (69), displaying an inhibitory effect on 5-lipoxygenase comparable to that of a therapeutic drug for asthma. 

Two further />-terphenyls related to candidusins, namely 3 -demethoxy-6 -desmethyl-5 -methoxycandidusin B (75) and 6 -desmethylcandidusin B (76) were more recently obtained from sclerotia of Penicillium raistrickii together with 14 and other metabolites, among them griseofulvin (see Section 2.3) [44],... 

In this section metabolites bearing one or more alkyl groups directly attached to the C-18 p-terphenyl core will be reviewed, including the xylerythrin group, which is originated through insertion of a third phenylpropanoid unit (See Section 5). 

Globally considered, the data here reported confirm the important properties of this peculiar group of metabolites and open promising perspectives in the search for further natural polyhydroxy-p-terphenyls and new synthetic methods, as well as for structure-activity relationship and safety studies. 

Tryptophan and its relative indolylpyruvic acid (3.42) have been shown to precursors of hinnuliquinone (3.41), which is a pigment of Nodulisporium hin-nuleum. Typical of many fungal indoles in which alkylation by a dimethylallyl or isopentenyl group has occurred, mevalonate was also a precursor. However, the stage at which prenylation of a monomer or a dimer took place was unclear. Asterriquinone (3.43) from Aspergillus terreus and cochliodinol (3.44) from Chaetomium cochliodes are similar metabolites. Fission of the hydroxyquinone in the latter followed by lactonization leads to cochliodinone (3.45) in a sequence that is similar to that which inter-relates the terphenyls and pulvinic acids described in Chapter 7. 

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