Abstract BACKGROUND Since 1956, Aspergillus versicolor has been recognized to produce structurally diverse natural products. To address the need for novel antifungal agents, a phytochemical investigation was conducted on the tobacco‐derived A. versicolor YNCA0363, focusing on diphenyl ethers (DPEs) with unprecedented structures and antifungal activities. RESULTS Seven previously unreported DPEs (compounds 1 – 7 ) and two known DPEs (compounds 8 and 9 ) were isolated from A. versicolor YNCA0363. Compounds 1 – 3 possess a rare phenyl‐indole structure, compounds 4 and 5 feature a phenyl‐isoindoline hybrid, and compounds 6 and 7 exhibit a phenyl‐isochromene linkage that is distinct from previously reported DPEs. Compound 5 showed the strongest inhibition (86.1 ± 6.4%, median inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) = 132.2 μg/mL) against Golovinomyces cichoracearum . Molecular docking revealed that DPEs interact with key tubulin residues (Ser243, Phe257, and Thr241). Microscopic analysis confirmed that compound 5 damaged the fungal conidia and hyphae. In addition, compound 5 induced tobacco defence enzymes and resistance‐related genes to enhance plant resistance. CONCLUSION This study expands the structural diversity of DPEs from A. versicolor , highlights their potential as effective antifungal agents, and underscores the importance of structural uniqueness in discovering emerging fungicides, providing valuable insights for agricultural antifungal development. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.
Liu et al. (Mon,) studied this question.