Antiviral Terpenoid Constituents of Ganoderma pfeifferi Bres

Ganoderma pfeifferi Bres., a weak parasitic and later saprophytic basidiomycete, is a fungus only found in Europe. It is living preferentially on Fagus L. and some other deciduous trees such as Aesculus L., Acer L., Fraxinus L. and Quercus L.. In contrast to G. lucidum (Fr.) Karst. and G. applanatum (Persoon) Patouillard, from which a number of biologically and pharmacologically interesting triterpenes, steroids and polysaccharides have been isolated [1], G. pfeifferi is one of the phytochemically poorer examined species of the family Ganodermataceae [2].

As part of our continuing interest in compounds from G. pfeifferi, four sterols and ten triterpenes were isolated from a DCM-extract of the fruiting bodies of this mushroom. In addition to compounds common in mushrooms and other Ganodermataceae, we isolated the previously unknown triterpenoid constituents 3,7,11-trioxo-5α-lanosta-8,24-diene-26-al 1 (Lucialdehyde D), 5α-lanosta-8,24-diene-26-hydroxy-3,7-dione 2 (Ganoderone A), and 5α-lanosta-8-ene-24,25-epoxy-26-hydroxy-3,7-dione 3 (Ganoderone C). The evaluation of the antiviral properties of the isolated compounds showed strong inhibition of the growth of Herpes simplex and influenza viruses with IC₅₀ values between 0.01 and 3.0µg/mL [3].

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References: 1. Gao, Y.; Zhou, S.; Huang, M.; Xu, A. (2003), Int. J. Med. Mushrooms 5: 235. 2. (a) Mothana, R.A.A., Jansen, R., Jülich, W.-D., Lindequist, U. (200), J. Nat. Prod. 63: 416, (b) Mothana, R.A.A., Ali, N.A.A., Jansen, R., Wegner, U., Mentel, R., Lindequist, U. (2003), Fitoterapia 74: 177. 3. Niedermeyer, T.H.J; Lindequist, U.; Mentel, R.; Gördes, D.; Schmidt, E.; Thurow, K.; Lalk, M. (2005), J. Nat. Prod. 68: 1728.