Hexylitaconic acid: a new inhibitor of p53-HDM2 interaction isolated from a marine-derived fungus, Arthrinium sp.

A new inhibitor of p53-HDM2 interaction was isolated from a culture of marine-derived fungus, Arthrinium sp. The structure was identified to be (-)-hexylitaconic acid (1) by spectroscopic analysis. The inhibition of p53-HDM2 binding was tested by the ELISA method, and 1 inhibited the binding with an IC(50) value of 50 microg/mL. Although a number of synthetic inhibitors of p53-HDM2 interaction have been reported so far, 1 is the second inhibitor isolated from natural resources.