A novel gluconeogenesis inhibitor, FR225654 was isolated from the culture broth of Phoma sp. No. 00144. Spectroscopic analysis concluded that FR225654 has a highly oxygenated trans-decalin ring and b-keto-enol in its main part, and has a characteristic side chain possessing a conjugated carboxylic acid and tri-substituted olefin.
Keywords gluconeogenesis, hepatocyte, diabetes, FR225654At present, 135 million people are suffering from diabetes in the world, and the number is still increasing. While the cause of diabetes still remains unclear, it is certain that high blood glucose levels damage various human tissues, leading to complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy and kidney diseases. Thus, control of blood glucose levels is a prerequisite for diabetes patients. By assuming that gluconeogenesis inhibitors might be useful for downregulation of blood glucose, we screened for those inhibitors from microbial metabolites and discovered FR225654 in a cultured broth of Phoma sp. No. 00144 [1,2]. Herein, the structure determination of FR225654 is discussed.In the negative ESI-MS spectrum, a deprotonated ion of FR225659 (1)
was observed at m/z 507 [MϪH]Ϫ .Elemental analysis and number of carbon atoms deduced from 13 C NMR concluded its molecular formula to be C 27 H 40 O 9 (calcd. for C 27 H 40 O 9 · 1/2H 2 O C 62.65, H 7.98; found C 62.22, H 7.97). IR bands (KBr) at 3480 (br)/1710 (vs) and 1730 (m) cm Ϫ1 were indicative of a carboxyl and an ester function, respectively. Since 1 was unstable in methanol-d 4 , and gave complicated signals due to two tautomeric forms in DMSO-d 6 , we screened deuterated solvents for a series of NMR measurement of 1, and found CD 3 CN to be suitable for this purpose. The 1 H NMR spectrum in CD 3 CN clearly showed 37 protons including an enol proton (d H 15.0), three olefinic ones and four singlet methyl groups. In addition, extremely broadened three proton signals were observed in the area of 5.5ϳ3.5 ppm, and assigned as exchangeable. A pair of protons assigned to a disubstituted olefin resonates at 7.77 (d, Jϭ5 Hz) and 5.98 (d, Jϭ5 Hz) ppm, of a highly polarized olefin. The 13 C NMR and HSQC spectra in CD 3 CN showed six methyl, five methylene, eight methine and eight quaternary carbons. Signals for a saturated ketone (d C