Metachromins U-W: cytotoxic merosesquiterpenoids from an Australian specimen of the sponge Thorecta reticulata

J Nat Prod. 2011 May 27;74(5):1335-8. doi: 10.1021/np200041v. Epub 2011 Apr 22.

Abstract

Three new merosesquiterpenoids, metachromins U, V, and W (1-3), were isolated from a specimen of the marine sponge Thorecta reticulata collected off Hunter Island, Tasmania, Australia. Structures of the new compounds were elucidated through extensive NMR investigations and comparison with literature values. The cytotoxicities of 1-3 were assessed against a panel of human tumor cell lines (SF-268, H460, MCF-7, and HT-29) and a mammalian cell line (CHO-K1). All compounds were found to have 50% growth inhibition activities in the range 2.1-130 μM, with 2 being the most active (GI50 2.1-10 μM).

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / isolation & purification*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • HT29 Cells
  • Humans
  • Marine Biology
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular
  • Porifera / chemistry*
  • Sesquiterpenes / chemistry
  • Sesquiterpenes / isolation & purification*
  • Sesquiterpenes / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Sesquiterpenes
  • metachromin U
  • metachromin V
  • metachromin W