title: An endophytic fungus from Nothapodytes foetida that produces camptothecin.
abstract: A fungal endophytic isolate, camptothecin, has been isolated from the inner bark of the plant Nothapodytes foetidafrom the Western coast of India. The fungus, which belongs to the family Phycomycetes, produced the anticancer drug lead compound camptothecin (1) when grown in a synthetic liquid medium (Sabouraud broth) under shake flask and bench scale fermentation conditions. Compound 1 was identified by means of chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. It was also compared with an authentic example for its biological activity against a number of human cancer cell lines. Isolation of an organism producing 1 and its fermentation may, in the future, provide an easily accessible source for the production of this anticancer drug precursor molecule.
authors.affiliation: Regional Research Laboratory (CSIR), Canal Road, Jammu Tawi 180001, India.
authors.forename: Satish Chander
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Puri
authors.forename: Vijeshwar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Touseef
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Amna
authors.forename: Ghulam Nabi
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Qazi
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spiteller
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010800:Phycomyces / Q000737:chemistry*; D024301:Plant Bark
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D002166:Camptothecin