Cytotoxic isomalabaricane triterpenes from the marine sponge Rhabdastrella globostellata.

Fourteen isomalabaricane triterpenes were isolated from the marine sponge Rhabdastrella globostellata. In addition to the known compounds globostellatic acids A (1) and D (4) and stelliferin riboside (13), 11 of the compounds were new natural products, which included globostelletin (3), eight new globostellatic acid congeners, F to M (2, 5-11), and two new stelliferin ribosides (12 and 14). The isolated compounds were tested against three different cancer cell lines, L5178Y (mouse lymphoma), HeLa (human cervix carcinoma), and PC-12 (rat pheochromocytoma). The isomalabaricane derivatives were found to be selectively active toward the mouse lymphoma cell line L5178Y. The structures were determined by 1D and 2D NMR data and by comparison with spectroscopic data of known related compounds.