No abstract

Cytospolides A-E (1-5), five new nonanolides with an unprecedented 15-carbon skeleton with the unique chemical feature of a C-2 methyl group, were isolated from the endophytic fungus Cytospora sp. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, chemical interconversion, and single-crystal XRD. The solution and solid state conformers were compared by experimental methods (X-ray, NMR) and solvent and gas phase DFT calculations. The absolute configurations were assigned by time dependent (TD)-DFT calculations of CD spectra, including solution and solid state CD/

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the active n-BuOH extract of the sea cucumber Holothuria fuscocinerea resulted in the isolation of three new triterpene glycosides, fuscocinerosides A (1), B (2), and C (3), along with two known glycosides, pervicoside C (4) and holothurin A (5), as active compounds causing morphological abnormality of Pyricularia oryzae mycelia. Compounds 1-5 possess the same tetrasaccharide moiety, 3-O-methyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-beta-D- glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D-quinovopyranosyl-(1-->2)-4-O-sodiumsulfato-beta-D-xylopyranosyl, linked to C-3 of holostane triterpene aglycones that differ in their side chains and 17-substituents. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectral studies as well as chemical evidence. All the glycosides showed in vitro cytotoxicity against two human tumor cell lines.

Two new sulfated triterpene glycosides, philinopside E (1) and F (2), have been isolated from the sea cucumber Pentacta quadrangularis. Their structures have been established by extensive spectral analysis (NMR and MS) and chemical evidence. Glycoside 1 showed significant cytotoxicity (Ed(50) 0.75-3.50 microg mL(-1)) against ten tumor cell lines.

By activity-guided fractionation, two new sterols, 3beta,28xi-dihydroxy-24-ethylcholesta-5,23Z-dien (1) and 2a-oxa-2-oxo-5alpha-hydroxy-3,4-dinor-24-ethylcholesta-24(28)-ene (2), together with five known steroids, fucosterol (3), 24-ethylcholesta-4,24(28)-dien-3,6-dione (4), 24xi-hydroperoxy-24-vinylcholesterol (5), 24-ketocholesterol (6), 24R,28R- and 24S, 28S-epoxy-24-ethylcholesterol (7), were isolated from the brown alga Sargassum carpophyllum as active compounds causing morphological abnormality of Pyricularia oryzae mycelia. Compounds 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 also exhibited cytotoxic activity against various cancer cell lines. The IC50 values for 1 and 5 against HL-60 were 7.8 and 8.5 microg/ml, 3 and 4 against P-388 were 0.7 and 0.8 microg/ml, whereas 7 against MCF-7, HCT-8, 1A9, HOS and PC-3 were 4.0, 8.8, 10.0, 10.0 and 7.2 microg/ml, respectively.