Secalonic acids are a group of xanthone derivatives closely related to ergoflavin and ergochrysin A that are collectively called ergochromes and belong to a class of mycotoxins initially isolated as major ergot pigments from the fungi Claviceps purpurea that grows parasitically on rye grasses.[1][2] From early times and particularly in medieval Europe the consumption of grains containing ergot has repeatedly lead to mass poisonings known as ergotism which was caused by toxic ergot alkaloids and mycotoxins such as the ergochromes, due to contamination of flour by C. purpurea. A cluster of genes responsible for the synthesis of secalonic acids in C. purpurea has been identified.[3] Secalonic acid D the enantiomer of secalonic acid A is a major environmental toxin, isolated from the fungus Penicillium oxalicum, and is a major microbial contaminant of freshly-harvested corn which causes toxicity through contamination of foodstuffs.[1][2]
- Major Ergot Ergochromes and Secalonic acid D
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Secalonic acid A -
Secalonic acid B -
Secalonic acid C -
Secalonic acid D -
Ergoflavin -
Ergochrysin A
- ^ a b Masters KS; Bräse S (May 2012). "Xanthones from fungi, lichens, and bacteria: the natural products and their synthesis". Chemical Reviews. 112 (7): 3717–3776. doi:10.1021/cr100446h. PMID 22617028.
- ^ a b Wezeman T, Bräse S, Masters KS (Jan 2015). "Xanthone dimers: a compound family which is both common and privileged". Natural Product Reports. 32 (1): 6–28. doi:10.1039/c4np00050a. PMID 25226564.
- ^ Neubauer, Lisa; Dopstadt, Julian; Humpf, Hans-Ulrich; Tudzynski, Paul (2016). "Identification and characterization of the ergochrome gene cluster in the plant pathogenic fungus Claviceps purpurea". Fungal Biology and Biotechnology. 3: 2. doi:10.1186/s40694-016-0020-z. ISSN 2054-3085. PMC 5611617. PMID 28955461.