Characterization of dehydromonacolin-MV2 from Monascus purpureus mutant

AIM: Characterization of dehydromonacolin-MV2, a bioactive metabolite isolated from Monascus purpureus mutant (CFR 410-11). METHODS AND RESULTS: Chloroform extract of rice, fermented with a hyperpigment-producing mutant of M. purpureus (CFR 410-11) was found to contain metabolites that inhibited the growth of Bacillus, Pseudomonas and Streptococcus in agar gel diffusion assays. The extract inhibited lipid peroxidation and scavenged 2,2-diphenyl-1-pycrylhydrazyl and hydroxyl radicals. The active compound purified by silica gel column chromatography was characterized by NMR. The carbon, proton and 2D HSQCT assignments identified dehydromonacolin-MV2 as the bioactive metabolite. CONCLUSIONS: Dehydromonacolin-MV2 apparently originated in the mutant by hydroxylation and oxidation of monacolin-J, an intermediate of monacolin biosynthetic pathway. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Identification of the production of dehydromonacolin-MV2 by M. purpureus mutant (CFR 410-11) is new to literature. Bioactive properties of the compound suggested its pharmaceutical applications.