Bioactive sesterterpenoids from a Korean sponge Monanchora sp.

Chemical investigation of a Korean marine sponge, Monanchora sp., yielded nine new sesterterpenoids (1-9) along with phorbaketals A-C (10-12). The planar structures were established on the basis of NMR and MS analysis, and the absolute configurations of 1-9 were defined using the modified Mosher's method and CD spectroscopic data analysis. Compounds 1-8, designated as phorbaketals D-K, possess a spiroketal-modified benzopyran moiety such as phorbaketal A, and their structural variations are due to oxidation and/or reduction of the tricyclic core or the side chain. Compound 9, designated as phorbin A, has a monocyclic structure and is proposed to be a possible biogenetic precursor of the phorbaketals. Compounds 1-9 were evaluated for cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines (A498, ACHN, MIA-paca, and PANC-1), and a few of them were found to exhibit cytotoxic activity.