Novel prenylated and geranylated aromatic compounds isolated from Polysphondylium cellular slime molds

We have studied the diversity of secondary metabolites of cellular slime molds to utilize them as new biological resources for natural product chemistry. From the methanol extract of fruiting bodies of Polysphondylium tenuissimum, we obtained five prenylated and geranylated aromatic compounds, Pt-1–5 (1–5). An additional aromatic compound, Ppc-1 (6), was isolated from Polysphondylium pseudo-candidum. The structures of these compounds were determined by spectral analysis, and synthetic routes to 4, 5, and 6 were developed. Compound 5 showed the glucose consumption-promotive activity on 3T3-L1 cells.