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Microbial transformations of natural antitumor agents: conversion of lapachol to dehydro-alpha-lapachone by
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|August 1, 1979
Abstract:
Microbial transformation of lapachol, a naturally occurring naphthoquinone, was carried out by Curvularia lunata (NRRL 2178). The fungus brings about oxidative cyclization of the substrate to dehydro-alpha-lapachone, which was isolated and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectral analyses; its structure was verified by chemical synthesis. The metabolite is a naturally occurring chromene possessing antibacterial and antitumor activities.
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