Corals 7.2 Potential Pharmaceuticals from Soft Corals 187
Part A | 7.2
tional Cancer Institute) tumor cells MCF breast cancer, NCI-H460 nonsmall cell lung cancer, and SF-268
CNS cancer [7.151]. In reference [7.150] the isolation
of the structurally intriguing diterpenes providencin,
intricarene, and bielschowskysin from P. kallos was
also reported. Bielschowskysin exhibited strong activity against certain human cancer cell lines and was also
effective against Plasmodium falciparum, the cause of
malaria [7.152].
Pseudopterolide, an unusual diterpene from the gorgonian P. acerosa showed unusual cytotoxic properties [7.155]. The genus pseudopterogorgia also yielded
pseudopetrocin-E, a tricyclic diterpene pentoside with
anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities equal in potency to industrial standard indomethicine [7.156].
Genus Pterogorgia
Pterogorgia guadalupensis was reported to contain
a cristaline lactone that exhibited mild antibiotic activity against bacterial species [7.157].
Genus Gorgonia
Crude extracts from the sea fan coral Gorgonia
ventalina showed antibacterial activity against the
bacterium Listonella anguillarum [7.158]. In reference [7.159] exochitinase activity against the fungal
pathogen, Aspergillus sydowii in G. ventalina from the
Florida Keys was also explored.
Genus Eunicella
Spongouridine previously isolated from the sponge
Cryptotethia crypta and found to possess antiviral activity, was also isolated from the gorgonian Eunicella
cavolini (reviewed in [7.160]). E. verrucosa from Spain
gave the cytotoxic verrucoside [7.161].
7.2.4 Subergorgiidae
Genus Subergorgia
The gorgonian coral Subergorgia suberosa occurs
widely in Indo-Pacific waters. Subergorgic acid, a cardiotoxin obtained from the Pacific S. suberosa [7.162]
inhibited neuromuscular transmission at 0:16 g mL
1
in isolated guinea-pig heart assay. A further study
of S. suberosa yielded the sesquiterpene suberosols
A–D as well as a subergane-based sesquiterpene,
subergorgiol, which exhibited cytotoxicity towards
the P-388 murine leukaemia and the A-549 and
HT-29 tumor cell lines; subergorgiol was moderately cytotoxic against the growth of HeLa cancer cells [7.163, 164]. A sesquiterpene alkaloid, 6(9
0 -purine-6
0 ,8
0 -diolyl)-2ˇ-suberosanone, was also reported from S. suberosa as a mildly cytotoxic metabolite (IC 50 D 8:87 g mL
1 [7.165]. Reference [7.166]
reported that the most potent antifoulant produced by
S. suberosa was subergorgic acid.
7.2.5 Family Briareidae
Genus Briareum (D Solenopodium)
Solenolides as anti-inflammatory and antiviral diterpenoids were introduced from the gorgonian Briareum
(Solenopodium) sp. [7.167]. A study of B. excavatum
resulted in brianthein A [7.168], which was shown to
reverse multidrug resistance in human carcinomas, and
in briaexcavatolides, one of which shown to exhibit
significant cytotoxicity toward P-388 and HT-29 cancer cells [7.169]. A diterpenoid, excavatoid L, from
the cultured B. excavatum moderately inhibited superoxide anion generation and elastase release by human
neutrophils [7.170]. Violides O, briarlides I–R and
briviolides derived from Briareum sp. showed mild cytotoxicity toward Vero and MDCK cells [7.171, 172].
In addition, diterpenes briarenol A and briaranolides
A–J were isolated from Taiwanese and Okinawan collections of Briareum sp., respectively [7.173, 174]. Very
recently, briarenolide F from Briareum sp. was reported
to show significant in vitro anti-inflammatory effect on
the generation of superoxide anions by human neutrophils [7.175].
7.2.6 Family Plexauridae
Genus Pseudoplexaura
Horny gorgonians Pseudoplexaura porosa, P. wagenaari, P. flagellosa, and P. crucis provided a lactonic cembrane diterpene, the antineoplastic crassin
acetate, which is reported to be toxic to Entamoeba
histolytica at 20 g mL
1 in vitro [7.176]. Crassin
acetate may constitute as much as 1:5% of the dry
weight of the cortex of P. porosa [7.177], which
was cytotoxic (110 g mL
1 ) to mouse fibroblasts
and human leukemic and HeLa cells in vitro [7.178].
Both crassin acetate and eunicin also inhibited the
growth of Clostridium feseri and Staphylococcus
species [7.179]. Furthermore, two cytotoxic antitumor
cembranes, named 14-deoxycrassin and pseudoplexaurol were isolated from the Caribbean P. porosa [7.180].
Genus Plexaura
Two prostaglandins, 15-epi-PGA2 and its diester and
PGA2˛ were isolated from the air-dried cortex of the
Part A | 7.2
tional Cancer Institute) tumor cells MCF breast cancer, NCI-H460 nonsmall cell lung cancer, and SF-268
CNS cancer [7.151]. In reference [7.150] the isolation
of the structurally intriguing diterpenes providencin,
intricarene, and bielschowskysin from P. kallos was
also reported. Bielschowskysin exhibited strong activity against certain human cancer cell lines and was also
effective against Plasmodium falciparum, the cause of
malaria [7.152].
Pseudopterolide, an unusual diterpene from the gorgonian P. acerosa showed unusual cytotoxic properties [7.155]. The genus pseudopterogorgia also yielded
pseudopetrocin-E, a tricyclic diterpene pentoside with
anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities equal in potency to industrial standard indomethicine [7.156].
Genus Pterogorgia
Pterogorgia guadalupensis was reported to contain
a cristaline lactone that exhibited mild antibiotic activity against bacterial species [7.157].
Genus Gorgonia
Crude extracts from the sea fan coral Gorgonia
ventalina showed antibacterial activity against the
bacterium Listonella anguillarum [7.158]. In reference [7.159] exochitinase activity against the fungal
pathogen, Aspergillus sydowii in G. ventalina from the
Florida Keys was also explored.
Genus Eunicella
Spongouridine previously isolated from the sponge
Cryptotethia crypta and found to possess antiviral activity, was also isolated from the gorgonian Eunicella
cavolini (reviewed in [7.160]). E. verrucosa from Spain
gave the cytotoxic verrucoside [7.161].
7.2.4 Subergorgiidae
Genus Subergorgia
The gorgonian coral Subergorgia suberosa occurs
widely in Indo-Pacific waters. Subergorgic acid, a cardiotoxin obtained from the Pacific S. suberosa [7.162]
inhibited neuromuscular transmission at 0:16 g mL
1
in isolated guinea-pig heart assay. A further study
of S. suberosa yielded the sesquiterpene suberosols
A–D as well as a subergane-based sesquiterpene,
subergorgiol, which exhibited cytotoxicity towards
the P-388 murine leukaemia and the A-549 and
HT-29 tumor cell lines; subergorgiol was moderately cytotoxic against the growth of HeLa cancer cells [7.163, 164]. A sesquiterpene alkaloid, 6(9
0 -purine-6
0 ,8
0 -diolyl)-2ˇ-suberosanone, was also reported from S. suberosa as a mildly cytotoxic metabolite (IC 50 D 8:87 g mL
1 [7.165]. Reference [7.166]
reported that the most potent antifoulant produced by
S. suberosa was subergorgic acid.
7.2.5 Family Briareidae
Genus Briareum (D Solenopodium)
Solenolides as anti-inflammatory and antiviral diterpenoids were introduced from the gorgonian Briareum
(Solenopodium) sp. [7.167]. A study of B. excavatum
resulted in brianthein A [7.168], which was shown to
reverse multidrug resistance in human carcinomas, and
in briaexcavatolides, one of which shown to exhibit
significant cytotoxicity toward P-388 and HT-29 cancer cells [7.169]. A diterpenoid, excavatoid L, from
the cultured B. excavatum moderately inhibited superoxide anion generation and elastase release by human
neutrophils [7.170]. Violides O, briarlides I–R and
briviolides derived from Briareum sp. showed mild cytotoxicity toward Vero and MDCK cells [7.171, 172].
In addition, diterpenes briarenol A and briaranolides
A–J were isolated from Taiwanese and Okinawan collections of Briareum sp., respectively [7.173, 174]. Very
recently, briarenolide F from Briareum sp. was reported
to show significant in vitro anti-inflammatory effect on
the generation of superoxide anions by human neutrophils [7.175].
7.2.6 Family Plexauridae
Genus Pseudoplexaura
Horny gorgonians Pseudoplexaura porosa, P. wagenaari, P. flagellosa, and P. crucis provided a lactonic cembrane diterpene, the antineoplastic crassin
acetate, which is reported to be toxic to Entamoeba
histolytica at 20 g mL
1 in vitro [7.176]. Crassin
acetate may constitute as much as 1:5% of the dry
weight of the cortex of P. porosa [7.177], which
was cytotoxic (110 g mL
1 ) to mouse fibroblasts
and human leukemic and HeLa cells in vitro [7.178].
Both crassin acetate and eunicin also inhibited the
growth of Clostridium feseri and Staphylococcus
species [7.179]. Furthermore, two cytotoxic antitumor
cembranes, named 14-deoxycrassin and pseudoplexaurol were isolated from the Caribbean P. porosa [7.180].
Genus Plexaura
Two prostaglandins, 15-epi-PGA2 and its diester and
PGA2˛ were isolated from the air-dried cortex of the