Alternariol monomethyl ether

Alternariol monomethyl ether (AME) is a mycotoxin originally isolated from A. brassicae extracts. AME is a common contaminant in cereal grains such as wheat, barley, and sorghum that is cytotoxic to bacterial (MIC = 500 μg/disc for B. mycoides in a bacterial halo assay) and mammalian cells (IC50 = 120 μM in HCT116 cells). It inhibits human topoisomerase II and bacterial gyrase at initial inhibitory concentrations of 25 and 10 μM, respectively. AME selectively inhibits monoamine oxidase A (MOA-A; Ki = 0.34 μM). AME also provokes DNA damage that induces mitochondrial permeability transition pore-mediated activation of apoptosis.