New sphingolipids and a sterol from a lobophytum species of the Indian ocean.

Chemical investigation of a soft coral species of the genus Lobophytum has resulted in the isolation of three new sphingolipids--(2S,3S,4R)-2-nonadecanoylamino-octadecane-1,3,4-triol (1), (2S,3R,4E,8E)-[(2'R)-2'-hydroxyheptadecanoylamino]-4,8-octadecadiene-1,3-diol (2), 1-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(2S,3R,4E,8E)-2-[(2'R)-2'-hydroxynonadecanoylamino]-9-methyl-4,8-octadecadiene-1,3-diol (3) and a sterol--(24S)-ergost-5-en-3beta,7beta-diol (4) along with the known sphingolipid--(2S,3R,4E,8E)-2-hexadecanoylamino-4,8-octadecadien-1,3-diol (5) which showed cytotoxicity against human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).