N-(CHLOROPHENYL)-SUCCINIMIDES - A NOVEL METABOLITE CLASS ISOLATED FROM PHANEROCHAETE-CHRYSOSPORIUM

The white-rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, converted lignin-incorporated as well as free 4-chloroaniline and 3,4-dichloroaniline to carbon dioxide and soluble metabolites. The latter were isolated by ethylacetate extraction, and the predominant metabolites were purified by silica gel column chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and gas-liquid chromatography. These metabolites were identified as N-(4-chlorophenyl)-succinimide and N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-succinimide on the basis of their chromatographic properties as well as mass spectroscopy and proton NMR spectroscopy. N-(chlorophenyl)-succinimide metabolites have not been previously reported and therefore constitute a novel metabolite class of as yet unknown toxicological properties.