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Two New Subergane-Based Sesquiterpenes from a Taiwanese Gorgonian Coral Subergorgia suberosa

Guey-Horng Wang,^† Atallah F. Ahmed,^†^‡ Yao-Haur Kuo,^§ and Jyh-Horng Sheu*^†

Department of Marine Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan, Republic of China, Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt, and National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Taipei 112, Taiwan, Republic of China

J. Nat. Prod., 2002, 65 (7), pp 1033–1036

DOI: 10.1021/np0106586

Publication Date (Web): June 1, 2002

†

National Sun Yat-Sen University.

‡

Mansoura University.

National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine.

To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: 886-7-5252000, ext. 5030. Fax: 886-7-5255020. E-mail: sheu@mail.nsysu.edu.tw.

Abstract

Chemical investigation of the ethyl acetate extract of the Taiwanese Gorgonian coral Subergorgia suberosa has resulted in the isolation of two new subergane-based sesquiterpenes, subergorgiol (1) and 2β-acetoxysubergorgic acid (2), along with four known compounds, subergorgic acid methyl ester (3), 2β-acetoxy methyl ester of subergorgic acid (4), 2β-hydroxysubergorgic acid (5), and subergorgic acid (6). The structures of the new metabolites 1 and 2 were determined on the basis of extensive spectral analyses. Subergorgiol (1) may be the biosynthetic precursor of 2−6. Compound 3 was found to exhibit moderate cytotoxicity against the growth of HeLa cancer cells.