Microbial transformation of aspidospermine

Thirty actinomycetes were isolated from soil samples and screened for their ability to modify the structure of aspidospermine. One actinomycete culture converted aspidospermine into O-demethylaspidospermine but failed to modify N-deacetylaspidospermine, N-ethyl-N-deacetylaspidospermine, 7-methoxyindole, and 7-methoxytryptophan.