Bioactive compounds from Chrysosporium multifidum, a fungus isolated from Hermetia illucens gut microbiota

The gut microbiota of insects contains a wide range of organisms that protect them against the attack of pathogens by releasing various types of bioactive compounds. In the present study, we report the isolation and identification of the fungus Chrysosporium multifidum as a component of the microbiota from the larval gut of Hermetia illucens. Extract from the broth culture of C. multifidum showed moderate activity on a strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The bioguided isolation of the extract resulted in the characterization of six -pyrone derivatives (1-6) and one diketopiperazines (7), among them 5,6-dihydro-4-methoxy-6-(1-oxopentyl)-2H-pyran-2-one (4) showed the best activity (IC50 = 11.4 {+/-} 0.7 {micro}g/ml and MIC = 62.5 g/ml).