Halogenated Compounds from Directed Fermentation of Penicillium concentricum, an Endophytic Fungus of the Liverwort Trichocolea tomentella

One new chlorinated xanthone, 6-chloro-3,8-dihydroxy-1-methylxanthone (1), a new 2-bromo-gentisyl alcohol (2), and a mixture of 6-epimers of 6-dehydroxy-6-bromogabosine C (3a and 3b), together with 19 previously identified compounds, epoxydon (4), norlichexanthone (5), 2-chlorogentisyl alcohol (6), hydroxychlorogentisyl quinone (7), 6-dehydroxy-6α-chlorogabosine C (8a), 6-dehydroxy-6β-chlorogabosine C (8b), gentisyl alcohol (9), gentisyl quinone (10), (R,S)-1-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol (11), dehydrodechlorogriseofulvin (12), dechlorogriseofulvin (13), dehydrogriseofulvin (14), griseofulvin (15), ethylene glycol benzoate (16), alternariol (17), griseoxanthone C (18), drimiopsin H (19), griseophenone C (20), and griseophenone B (21), were isolated from cultures of Penicillium concentricum, a fungal endophyte of the liverwort Trichocolea tomentella. The structures of the new compounds (1, 2, 3a, and 3b) were elucidated by interpretation of spectroscopic data including one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques. Among these, compounds 2–4 displayed modest cytotoxicity to the MCF-7 hormone-dependent breast cancer cell line with IC50 values of 8.4, 9.7, and 5.7 μM, respectively, whereas compound 9 exhibited selective cytotoxicity against the HT-29 colon cancer cell line with an IC50 value of 6.4 μM. During this study we confirmed that the brominated gentisyl alcohol (2) was formed by chemical conversion of 4 during bromide salt addition to culture media.