Erabulenols, Inhibitors of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein Produced by Penicillium sp. FO-5637

I. Production, Isolation and Biological Properties

Abstract

Penicillium sp. FO-5637, a soil isolate, was found to produce a series of inhibitors of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). Novel active compounds, designated erabulenols A and B, were isolated from the fermentation broth of the producing strain by solvent extraction, ODS column chromatography and HPLC. Erabulenols A and B inhibit human CETP activity with IC₅₀ values of 47.7 and 58.2 μM in an in vitro assay system containing 200 μM BSA, respectively.