Antiviral and anti-inflammatory diterpenoids from the soft coral Sinularia gyrosa.

Chemical investigation of the soft coral Sinularia gyrosa led to the purification of three new diterpenoids, designated as gyrosanols A-C (1-3). The structures of 1-3 were elucidated through extensive spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited antiviral activity against HCMV with IC(50)'s of 2.6 and 3.7 microM, respectively. In addition, compounds 1 and 2 showed significant anti-inflammatory activity by reducing the levels of the COX-2 protein (19.6 + or - 3.9% and 29.1 + or - 9.6%, respectively) in RAW 264.7 macrophages.