Aspergiolides C and D: Spirocyclic Aromatic Polyketides with Potent Protein Kinase c-Met Inhibitory Effects

Variation of the cultivation conditions for Aspergillus glaucus led to the discovery of two novel spirocyclic aromatic polyketides, aspergiolides C (3) and D (4). Their constitutions were elucidated by a combination of spectroscopic methods and isotope-labeling experiments. Aspergiolides C (3) and D (4) occur as racemic mixtures, the resolution of which was succeeded by HPLC on a chiral phase. The absolute configurations of their enantiomers were assigned online, from the peaks in the chromatogram, by a combination of HPLC-CD and quantum chemical CD calculations. Both compounds were found to inhibit the kinase activities of the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) c-Met, Ron, and c-Src with low-micromolar IC(50)s. The enantiomers of 3 were resolved by HPLC on a chiral phase. Both enantiomers showed a comparable inhibition of the HGF-induced autophosphorylation of c-Met and of subsequent cell migration.