Xiamycin, a pentacyclic indolosesquiterpene with selective anti-HIV activity from a bacterial mangrove endophyte

A novel pentacyclic indolosesquiterpene, named xiamycin (1), and its methyl ester (2) have been obtained from Streptomyces sp. GT2002/1503, an endophyte from the mangrove plant Bruguiera gymnorrhiza. The structures were established by 1D and 2D NMR, MS, and X-ray crystallography, and the absolute configuration of 1 was elucidated by the modified Mosher method.

Compound 1 exhibits selective anti-HIV activity; it specifically blocks R5 but has no effects on X4 tropic HIV-1 infection. In a panel of cytotoxicity assays, compound 2 showed to be more potent (geometric mean IC(50)=10.13 μM) compared to compound 1 (geometric mean IC(50) >30 μM), with antitumor potency being generally less pronounced.

Xiamycin represents one of the first examples of indolosesquiterpenes isolated from prokaryotes.