Vialinin A, a novel 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenger from an edible mushroom in China

While screening for bioactive compounds from edible mushrooms, a new potent antioxidant, vialinin A (1), together with a known compound, ganbajunin B (2), and a mixture of ganbajunins D (3) and E (4), were isolated from the dry fruiting bodies of Thelephora vialis. The structure of 1, 5',6'-bis(phenylacetoxy)-1,1':4',1"-terphenyl-2',3',4,4"-tetraol, was elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods. This compound had strong 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging activity with an EC50 value of 14.0 mu m, nearly equal to that of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT; EC50 = 10.0 mu m). A radical scavenging experiment using 1 and DPPH radicals indicated that 1 donated two hydrogen atoms to two molecules of the DPPH radical under hydrophobic conditions.