Neuraminidase Inhibitors from Mushroom Microphorus affinis

In the course of screening anti-influenza agents from natural products, four neuraminidase inhibitors were isolated from the methanol extract of mushroom Microphorus affinis by purification using solvent partition, silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative HPLC. The chemical structures of these compounds were identified as ${\alpha}-lupeol$, methyl linoleate, methyl palmitate, and methyl oleate by means of spectral data including GC-MS, $^1H-,\;and\;^{13}C-NMR\;with\;IC_{50}$ values of 5.65, 7.07, 7.12, and $7.52\;\mu\textrm{M}$, respectively. They did not inhibit other glycosidases such as glucosidase, mannosidase, and galactosidase, indicating that they were relatively specific inhibitors of neuraminidase. The relationship between the fatty acid structure and inhibitory activity was investigated. The result showed that, in the case of an aliphatic linear hydrocarbon skeleton, at least one carboxyl (presumably any carbonyl) moiety and sixteen carbons were the necessary requirements for potent inhibition, whereas saturated, unsaturated, free, and ester forms did not have any significant effect on the activity.