The known compound methyl 2,4-dihydroxy-3,5,6-trimethylbenzoate (1) and three new related metabolites, which we have named mortivinacins A (2), B (3), and C (4), were identified as metabolites of the fungus Mortierella vinacea. Nicotinic acid (5) was also encountered. This isolate of M. vinacea was obtained from an Aspergillus flavus sclerotium during field studies of sclerotium longevity in soil. Compounds 1-5 were isolated by chromatographic fractionation of organic extracts from M. vinacea solid-substrate fermentation cultures, and the structures were assigned by analysis of NMR and MS data. Compounds 1, 2, and 5 were responsible for the antibacterial and antifungal activities of the extract.

Five new phenopicolinic acid analogues (1-5) have been isolated from solid-substrate fermentation cultures of Verticillium lecanii. The most abundant component (vertilecanin A; 1) displays antiinsectan activity against Helicoverpa zea. These compounds were obtained by chromatographic fractionation of the EtOAc culture extract and identified by analysis of NMR and MS data. The known fungal metabolites 2-decenedioic acid and 10-hydroxy-8-decenoic acid were also isolated from these cultures.