Akbar Esmaeili, Nasrin Moazami, Abdolhossein Rustaiyan.
Biotransformation of germacranolide from onopordon leptolepies by Aspergillus niger.
Pak J Pharm Sci Jan ;25(1):155-9.

Terpenes are present in the essential oils obtained from herbs and spices. They are produced by these plant species as a chemical defense mechanism against phytopathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, terpenes have attracted great attention in the food industry, e.g., they have been used in foods such as cheese as natural preservatives to prevent fungal growth. Herein, we describe the microbial transformation of onopordopicrin (1) by Aspergillus niger. Four product 11á H-dihydroonopordopicrin (2), 11â H–dihydroonopordopicrin (3), 3â–hydroxy-11â Hdihydroonopordopicrin (4), and 14-hydroxy-11â H-dihydroonopordopicrin (5) were obtained. Their structures were identified on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic data. All the four compounds were novel.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com