Tenuazonic acid is a mycotoxin

Mycotoxin

A mycotoxin is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by organisms of the fungus kingdom, commonly known as molds. The term ‘mycotoxin’ is usually reserved for the toxic chemical products produced by fungi that readily colonize crops...

. It is a toxic secondary metabolite

Secondary metabolite

Secondary metabolites are organic compounds that are not directly involved in the normal growth, development, or reproduction of an organism. Unlike primary metabolites, absence of secondary metabolities does not result in immediate death, but rather in long-term impairment of the organism's...

, produced by Alternaria

Alternaria

Alternaria is a genus of ascomycete fungi. Alternaria species are known as major plant pathogens. They are also common allergens in humans, growing indoors and causing hay fever or hypersensitivity reactions that sometimes lead to asthma...

(e. g. Alternaria alternata

Alternaria alternata

Alternaria alternata has been recorded causing leaf spot and other diseases on over 380 host species. It is opportunistic pathogen on numerous hosts causing leaf spots, rots and blights on many plant parts...

or Alternaria tenuis) and Phoma

Phoma

Phoma is a genus of common coelomycetous soil fungi. It contains many plant pathogenic species. About 140 Phoma taxa have been defined and recognized which may be divided into two large groups: plurivorous fungi, generally saprobic or weakly parasitic, mainly from temperate regions in Eurasia, but...

species. It inhibits the protein synthesis machinery.

Tenuazonic acid or 5S,6S-3-acetyl-5-sec-butyl-4-hydroxypyrrolidone-2,4-dione is a colorless oil, soluble in chloroform

Chloroform

Chloroform is an organic compound with formula CHCl3. It is one of the four chloromethanes. The colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane, and is considered somewhat hazardous...

 and methanol

Methanol

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...

.

In 1991 Tenuazonic acid was reported to inhibit skin tumor promotion in mice