COMPARISON OF BALANOL FROM VERTICILLIUM BALANOIDES AND OPHIOCORDIN FROM CORDYCEPS OPHIOGLOSSOIDES

Recently, we reported the isolation of the potent protein kinase C inh ibitor balanol (1) from the fungus Verticillium balanoides. In an earl ier study, KONIG et al, reported the isolation of ophiocordin (3), a s tructural isomer of 1, from the fungus Cordyceps ophioglossoides. The present study was designed to clarify whether or not balanol and ophio cordin are different compounds. The results indicated that the two fun gi produced the same compound, the structure being that assigned to ba lanol. In addition, a thirty-fold increase in the production of balano l from V. balanoides was observed when the culture medium was changed from cornmeal/tomato paste to soy meal/glycerol.