Isolation and Characterization of Bioactive Metabolites from Endophytic Fungi of Pinus Strobus

Fungal foliar endophytes of Pinus strobus (Eastern white pine) were collected from different sites across south-eastern New Brunswick, Canada for screening of bioactive metabolite compounds. Metabolite isolation and characterization of three bioactive strains yielded the dibenzofuran derivative porric acid C (1), one butyrolactone derivative (2), one glucopyranosol derivative (3), one furfuryl ether derivative (4), four dihydrobenzofurans derivatives (5-8), one xanthene derivative (9), and one polyoxygenated cyclohexene (10). Two of the dihydrobenzofurans compounds are new (7 and 8), while the other two (5 and 6) are reported here for the first time as natural products. Compound 4 is known as a starting material in the synthesis of fullerenes. The remaining compounds (2, 3, 9, and 10) are also new. Compounds (1, 2, and 5-9) displayed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis. Additionally, the known antifungal compound griseofulvin was quantified by LC-MS/MS.