Pyrone and pyridone compounds in the liquid culture of Physisporinus sanguinolentus

Chromatographic separation of the liquid culture filtrate of the basidiomyc ete fungus Physisporinus sanguinolentus has yielded three new compounds viz ., 2-methyl-4-pyrone, 2-methyl-5,6-dihydro-4-pyrone and the pyridone form o f 4-hydroxy-2-methylpyridine, together with the known triacetic acid lacton e, the sesquiterpene dialdehyde merulidial and a derivative of merulidial. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and by compariso n to literature data and a synthetic sample. One of the compounds, merulidi al, was shown to inhibit the germination of spores and the hyphal growth of the wood-rotting basidiomycete Heterobasidion annosum and the saprophytic mould Cladosporium cucumerinum. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights r eserved.