BIOACTIVE ALKALOIDS OF Aspergillus fumigatus, AN ENDOPHYTIC FUNGUS FROM Astragalus memhranaceus

摘要

The dried root of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Astragalus memhranaceus, Huang-qi, is a widely used herbal product in China, other Asian countries, and some western countries [1]. Studies of its pharmacological and clinical properties demonstrated that A. memhranaceus exhibits many biological functions, including hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, cardiotonic, anti-aging, anticancer, and antiinflammatory effects [2-5]. Endophytic fungi are eukaryotic organisms that live inside plant tissues without causing apparent pathogenic symptoms and are usually specific at the host species level [6]. They have been proven to be a rich source of new biologically active natural products because as a group they inhabit a relatively untapped ecological environment, and their secondary metabolism is activated by their metabolic interactions with their hosts.