Andrastins A-D, Penicillium roqueforti Metabolites consistently produced in blue-mold-ripened cheese

This is the first finding of andrastins in blue cheese as well as any other sample type. Here, they were produced by the secondary starter culture Penicillium roqueforti. After purification by normal-phase chromatography followed by combined reverse-phase ion-exchange chromatography, the andrastins A-D were detected by liquid chromatography combined with UV and high-resolution mass spectrometry. In 23 representative samples of European blue cheeses, andrastin A was consistently found in quantities between 0.1 and 3.7 microg/g of cheese (median 2.4 microg/g). Assuming the same molar response factors as for andrastin A, the B, C, and D analogues were present in approximately 5-, 3-, and 5-20-fold lower amounts than andrastin A, respectively. The andrastins are protein farnesyltransferase inhibitors and are capable of inhibiting the efflux of anticancer drugs from multidrug-resistant cancer cells. Thus, their presence in common blue cheese suggests a potential for a positive or negative impact on human health.