Sequoiatones A and B: Novel Antitumor Metabolites Isolated from a Redwood Endophyte

Sequoiatones A and B were isolated from the fungus Aspergillus parasiticus, an endophytic fungus of the coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens. The compounds were isolated from the methanol extract of the mycelial mat of the fungus when grown in liquid culture for 21 days. The compounds were isolated because of their brine shrimp lethality, which served as an excellent guide for chromatographic purification. Full details of the isolation and characterization of sequoiatones A and B are provided herein, along with the test results from the NCI human tumor 60 cell-line screen.