Botryoisocoumarin A, a new COX-2 inhibitor from the mangrove Kandelia candel endophytic fungus Botryosphaeria sp. KcF6.

Microorganisms belonging to a polyphyletic group of highly diverse organisms called endophytes reside primarily in plant hosts without causing any damage to their host. In many cases, these endophytes have played vital roles in the survival of their hosts by providing nutrients and producing abundant bioactive metabolites to protect the host against phytopathogenic bacteria. Mangrove plants, distributed in tropical and subtropical intertidal foreste wetlands, are biodiverse ‘hotspots’ that harbor a variety of endophytic fungi,3 which can potentially be a good source of novel bioactive compounds. Some of these secondary metabolites have shown various forms of biological activities such as antibacterial,7 cytotoxic,8 anti-inflammatory,9 antioxidant and anticancer. Therefore, in recent years, scientists have gradually begun to pay attention to these endophytes as promising targets for new clinical medicines. We have already reported a large number of new chemical constituents from mangrove-derived endophytic fungi. Many novel compounds such as alkaloids, ceramides,15 coumarins,16 polyketides,17 lactones,18 diterpenoids,19 benzofuran derivatives,20 meroterpenoids21 and polysaccharides22, 23 have been reported from the genus Botryosphaeria.