Verrucarin A is a chemical compound that belongs in the class of trichothecenes, a group of sesquiterpene toxins produced by several fungi, namely from the Fusarium species, that are responsible for infecting food grains.

[citation needed] The mechanism of action for this class of toxins mainly inhibits protein biosynthesis by preventing peptidyl transferase activity.

Although initially thought to be potentially useful as anticancer therapeutics, numerous examples of trichothecene derivatives were shown to be too toxic for clinical use.

Verrucarin A is classified as a type D trichothecene based on its substitution pattern in the 12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-ene (EPT) core structure.

[2] After cyclization of FPP to form trichodiene, TRI4 encodes a cytochrome P450 enzyme to catalyze a series of oxygenation events.