Terpenoid-related metabolites from a formosan soft coral Nephthea chabrolii.

Two new sesquiterpenoidal natural products chabrolidiones A and B (1 and 2), two C(18) terpenoid-related carboxylic acids, ketochabrolic acid (3) and isoketochabrolic acid (4), and one naphthoquinone derivative chabrolonaphthoquinone C (5), along with two known compounds (+)-aristolone (6) and teuhetenone A (7) were isolated from a Formosan soft coral Nephthea chabrolii. The structures of the new metabolites were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis and by comparison of NMR data with those of related metabolites. Metabolite 1 has been synthesized previously, but was isolated for the first time from natural sources. Cytotoxic activity of metabolites 1-3 and 5-7 against a limited panel of cancer cell lines is also described.