Cembrane diterpenes from the gorgonian Lophogorgia peruana.

The chemical study of the gorgonian Lophogorgia peruana collected at the Gulf of California has led to the isolation of the new diterpenes lophodienone (2), lophodiol A (3), lophodiol B (4), 17-acetoxylophotoxin (5), 15,16-epoxylophotoxin (6), 17-acetoxy-15,16-epoxylophotoxin (7), and isoepoxylophodione (8), together with the known compounds lophotoxin (1), rubifolide (9), lopholide (10), deoxylophotoxin (11), and the lophotoxin analogues 12 and 13. The structures of the new metabolites have been established by spectroscopic techniques and chemical correlation. The in vitro cytotoxicity has been tested against three tumor cell lines.