Sequential determination of new peptaibols asperelines G-Z12 produced by marine-derived fungus Trichoderma asperellum using ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography combined with electrospray-ionization tandem mass spectrometry

• A simple and sensitive method was developed for sequencing short peptaibol in a mixture.
• Minor and new microheterogeneous peptaibols were detected.
• A total of 32 new peptaibols were determined from a marine-derived fungus Trichoderma asperellum.

Thirty-eight short peptaibols in a microheterogeneous mixture derived from the fermentation broth of a marine-derived fungus Trichoderma asperellum were determined using ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography in combination with electrospray-ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–ESIMS/MS) techniques, including thirty-two new peptaibols namely asperelines G-Z13. The C-terminus bonded to proline (aspereline Z9) or hydroxyprolinol (aspereline Z12) is rarely found in nature. So far, it is the largest number of peptaibols to be detected at once on the basis of the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode coupled to precursor scan techniques.