A new ultrasound-mediated approach has been developed to introduce neomycin-resistance to activate silent pathways for secondary metabolite production in a bio-inactive, deep-sea fungus, Aspergillus versicolor ZBY-3. Upon treatment of the ZBY-3 spores with a high concentration of neomycin by proper ultrasound irradiation, a total of 30 mutants were obtained by single colony isolation. The acquired resistance of the mutants to neomycin was confirmed by a resistance test. In contrast to the ZBY-3 strain, the EtOAc extracts of 22 of the 30 mutants inhibited the human cancer K562 cells, indicating that these mutants acquired a capability to produce antitumor metabolites. HPLC-photodiode array detector (PDAD)-UV and HPLC-electron spray ionization (ESI)-MS analyses of the EtOAc extracts of seven bioactive mutants and the ZBY-3 strain indicated that diverse secondary metabolites have been newly produced in the mutant extracts in contrast to the ZBY-3 extract. The followed isolation and characterization demonstrated that six metabolites, cyclo(d-Pro-d-Phe) (1), cyclo(d-Tyr-d-Pro) (2), phenethyl 5-oxo-l-prolinate (3), cyclo(l-Ile-l-Pro) (4), cyclo(l-Leu-l-Pro) (5) and 3β,5α,9α-trihydroxy-(22E,24R)-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (6), were newly produced by the mutant u2n2h3-3 compared to the parent ZBY-3 strain. Compound 3 was a new compound; 2 was isolated from a natural source for the first time, and all of these compounds were also not yet found in the metabolites of other A. versicolor strains. Compounds 1–6 inhibited the K562 cells, with inhibition rates of 54.6% (1), 72.9% (2), 23.5% (3), 29.6% (4), 30.9% (5) and 51.1% (6) at 100 μg/mL, and inhibited also other human cancer HL-60, BGC-823 and HeLa cells, to some extent. The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of the ultrasound-mediated approach to activate silent metabolite production in fungi by introducing acquired resistance to aminoglycosides and its potential for discovering new compounds from silent fungal metabolic pathways. This approach could be applied to elicit the metabolic potentials of other fungal isolates to discover new compounds from cryptic secondary metabolites.

Background: Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of azvudine in alleviating clinical symptoms among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, evidence regarding its real-world effectiveness and safety profile remains limited.Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of azvudine in COVID-19 patients.Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 192 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Fengtai District, Beijing, from November 1 to December 31, 2022. Patients were divided into azvudine (n=118) and non-azvudine (n=74) groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to balance baseline characteristics (age, sex, vaccination status, etc.), yielding 48 matched pairs. Outcomes included time to SARS-CoV-2 RNA negativity, hospitalization duration, and symptom resolution (fever, cough). Adverse events were recorded.Results: After PSM, 48 pairs of COVID-19 patients were identified. The azvudine group exhibited significantly shorter hospitalization than the non-azvudine group (median: 8 vs. 10 days, P ≤ 0.05). No significant differences were observed in time to RNA negativity (4.23 vs. 4.52 days, P>0.05), fever duration (2 vs. 2 days, P>0.05), or cough duration (4.5 vs. 5 days, P>0.05). One case of mild gastrointestinal discomfort was reported in the azvudine group.Conclusion: Azvudine significantly reduced hospitalization duration in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients with a favorable safety profile.