FUNGAL METABOLISM OF PRENYLATED FLAVONOIDS

When incubated in liquid culture with Aspergillus flavus, the prenylat ed flavanone 6-prenylnaringenin -6-(3,3-dimethylallyl)-5,7,4'-trihydro xyflavanone] was converted into 2,3-dihydrodihydroxyprenyl-substituted naringenin, 6-prenylnaringenin hydrate, and dihydrofurano-substituted naringenin, The latter metabolite was also found as the major metabol ite of 6-prenylnaringenin in Botrytis cinerea culture. Further experim ents using a strain of Ascochyta rabiei pathogenic to chickpea, which can metabolize non-planar isoflavonoid pterocarpans, revealed that 6-p renylnaringenin gave only a minute amount of metabolites, whilst the p renylated isoflavone luteone 3-dimethylallyl)-5,7,2',4'-tetrahydroxyis oflavone] was slowly converted into the corresponding dihydrofuranoiso flavone. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.