Endophytic Diaporthe sp. LG23 Produces a Potent Antibacterial Tetracyclic Triterpenoid

A new lanostanoid, 19-nor-lanosta-5(10),6,8,24-tetraene-1α,3β,12β,22S-tetraol (1), characterized by the presence of an aromatic B ring and hydroxylated at C-1, C-3, C-12, and C-22, was isolated from an endophytic fungus, Diaporthe sp. LG23, inhabiting leaves of the Chinese medicinal plant Mahonia fortunei. Six biosynthetically related known steroids were also isolated in parallel. Their structures were confirmed on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis in conjunction with the published data. Compound 1, an unusual fungus-derived 19-nor-lanostane tetracyclic triterpenoid with an aromatic B-ring system, exhibited pronounced antibacterial efficacy against both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria, especially the clinical isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as a human pathogenic strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Our results reveal the potential of endophytes not only in conferring host fitness but also in contributing toward traditional host plant medicines.