A crude extract of Caulerpa taxifolia was tested for its antiviral activity. The chloroform–methanol residue showed an interesting inhibitor effect in vitro toward the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a valid model for studying the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This extract reduced the virus‐induced syncytia in the cultured cells, the viral reverse transcriptase activity and the viral capsid protein P24 expression. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The two linear diterpenes from Cystoseira brachycarpa var. balearica isolated following the method previously described, were tested on guinea-pig intestinal prepara-Abstract Eleganolone (1) and elegandiol (2), two linear diterpenes isolated from Cystoseira brachycarpa var. balearica, were tested on guinea-pig intestinal pre-10 M). Tetraethylammonium (TEA), furosemide, Ne,nitro L-arginine methyl ester (i.-NAME), indomethacin, a-chymotrypsin, and metoprolol were unable to block the eleganolone and elegandiol relaxing action on colonic musculature, but rather potentiated this response. On the contrary, the /32-blocker butoxamine partially inhibited the diterpenes activity. These results suggest that Cystoseira diterpenes act at a second messenger cyclase system rather than at a receptor level.

Materials and Methods 135 gravity column chromatography (eluent CHC12-MeOH of increasing polarity) affording a mixture of 1 and 2, which was further submined to a flash-column chromatography over silica gel (eluent CHC12-MeOH 99: 1, see Fig. 1), to furnish 1 and 2 as pure compounds. Eleganolone (1, 0.057% dry weight of alga), a green-yellow oil, la]0:-2.15°, gave elemental analysis in good agreement with the molecular formula C20H3202. Ill, UV, 1H-, and 13C-NMR spectra confirmed the structure when compared with literature data (5-7).

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