Sonneratinone: A new antimicrobial benzofuranone derivative from the endophytic fungus Aspergillus niger isolated from the mangrove plant Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham

Anewantimicrobial benzofuranone derivative, named, sonneratinone (1), was isolated from the endophytic fungus Aspergillus niger, obtained from the leaves of Sonneratia apetala, a mangrove plant from the Sundarbans. Whilst the fungal strain was identified by macroscopic, microscopic and molecular techniques, the structure of the new compound was elucidated by spectroscopic means, e.g., 1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS. Sonneratinone (1) showed considerable antimicrobial activity against Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans in the resazurin 96-well microtitre plate antimicrobial assay.