Two new compounds with anticancer and antibacterial activities purified from Fusarium oxysporum LZC03

In the course of investigating endophytic fungi derived from medicinal plants, a fungal strain identified as Fusarium oxysporum (designated LZC03) was successfully isolated from Salvia plebeia R. Brown. Comprehensive chemical analysis of its fermentation metabolites, employing a series of chromatographic separation techniques, led to the isolation and structural characterisation of two previously undescribed compounds: (S)-(+)-methyl-5-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl) picolinate (1), (S)-(+)-butyl -5-(3,4-dihydroxybutyl) picolinate (2), and one known compound, (S)-(+)-methyl fusarinolate (3). Compounds 1 and 2 demonstrated moderate cytotoxic effects against the HCT-116 human colon cancer cell line, with IC₅₀ values of 59.27 and 55.86 μg/mL, respectively. Compounds 1-3 exhibited differential inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus (CMCC(B)26003), Bacillus subtilis (CMCC(B)63534), Escherichia coli (CMCC(B)44102), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CMCC(B)10104), and predominantly targeted Gram-positive strains. Moreover, compounds 1 and 2 exhibited significant antibacterial activity against S. aureus, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) lower than that of the reference drug, suggesting their potential as bifunctional bioactive agents.