O-demethylation and sulfation of 7-methoxylated flavanones by Cunninghamella elegans.

Metabolism of 7-O-methylnaringenin (sakuranetin) by Cunninghamella elegans NRRL 1392 yielded naringenin and naringenin-4'-sulfate. C. elegans also converted 5, 3', 4'-trihydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone into eriodictyol-4'-sulfate. Furthermore, incubation of 5, 4'-dihydroxy-7, 3'-dimethoxyflavanone with the same fungus gave homoeriodictyol (5, 7, 4'-trihydroxy-3'-methoxyflavanone) and homoeriodicytol-7-sulfate. The structures of the new metabolites were established by spectral analysis including 2D-NMR, HR-ESI-FT-MS beside hydrolysis by acid.