Δ-lactam derivative from thermophilic soil fungus exhibits in vitro anti-allergic activity

From cultures of thermophilic soil fungus Humicola grisea var thermoidea, a δ-lactam derivative (3-(2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxoethyl)-5,6-dihydropyridin-2(1H)-one) that displayed anti-allergic activity was isolated, which was predicted by in silico computational chemistry approaches. The in vitro anti-allergic activity was investigated by β-hexosaminidase release assay in rat basophilic leukaemia RBL-2H3 cells. The δ-lactam derivative exhibited similar anti-allergic activity (IC(50) = 18.7 ± 6.7 µM) in comparison with ketotifen fumarate (IC(50) = 15.0 ± 1.3 µM) and stronger anti-allergic activity than azelastine (IC(50) = 32.0 µM). Also, the MTT cytotoxicity assay with RBL-2H3 cells showed that δ-lactam does not display cytotoxicity at concentrations lower than 50 µM. This study suggests that the δ-lactam derivative has the potential to be used as a lead compound in the development of anti-allergic drugs for clinical use in humans.