Novel Sesquiterpene Ethers from Liquid Cultures of the Wood-Rotting Fungus Lentinus lepideus

Universität Hamburg, Institut für Organische Chemie, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, D-2000 Hamburg 13, Bundesrepublik Deutschland Z. Naturforsch. 43c, 24-28 (1988); received August 18/October 30, 1987 Dedicated to Professor Ewald Sprecher on the occasion of his 65th birthday Lentinus lepideus, Lentideusether, Terrestrol, Fungal Sesquiterpenes, Fungal Fragrance Compounds The brown-rot fungus Lentinus lepideus (Fr.: Fr.) Fr. FPRL 7B (Basidiomycotina) was cultivated on a defined synthetic liquid medium containing glucose (2%), isoleucine (0.15%), and mineral salts for 105 days. The steam distillate was separated by column chromatography. Three novel sesquiterpene ethers with muurolane skeleton (lentideusether, isolentideusether, and 10-hydroxylentideusether) were isolated and their structures elucidated by spectroscopic methods, in particular by 'H NMR spectra and by two-dimensional 'H/'Hand C/'H-chemical shift correlation. These compounds are described for the first time as natural products. As a further metabolite, the acyclic sesquiterpene alcohol terrestrol was identified.