Bioactive cubitane diterpenoids from a Colombian gorgonian species of the genus <em>Eunicea</em>

Wei, Xiaomei; Nieves, Karinel; Rodríguez, Abimael D.

doi:10.1351/PAC-CON-11-10-20

Pure Appl. Chem., 2012, Vol. 84, No. 9, pp. 1847-1855

http://dx.doi.org/10.1351/PAC-CON-11-10-20

Published online 2012-04-29

Bioactive cubitane diterpenoids from a Colombian gorgonian species of the genus Eunicea

Xiaomei Wei, Karinel Nieves and Abimael D. Rodríguez*

Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, P.O. Box 23346, U. P. R. Station, San Juan 00931-3346, Puerto Rico

Abstract: Two new diterpenes having the rare cubitane skeleton were isolated from a southwestern Caribbean gorgonian coral of the genus Eunicea. The structures of the new metabolites, as well as those of three known cubitanes were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis. One compound showed significant in vitro cytotoxic activity against a National Cancer Institute (NCI) panel of cancer cell lines, whereas the remaining metabolites were shown to exert mild antitubercular and antimalarial activities against the pathogenic microbes Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Plasmodium falciparum.