Briacavatolides A–C, New Briaranes from the Taiwanese Octocoral <em>Briareum excavatum</em>

Abstract

In order to search for novel bioactive substances from marine organisms, we have investigated the organic extracts of the Taiwanese octocoral <em>Briareum excavatum</em> collected at Orchid Island. Three new briarane-type diterpenoids, briacavatolides A–C (<strong>1</strong>–<strong>3</strong>) as well as two known briaranes, briaexcavatolide U (<strong>4</strong>) and briaexcavatin L (<strong>5</strong>) were isolated from the acetone extract. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by extensive NMR spectroscopic analysis and physical data. The anti-HCMV (human cytomegalovirus) activity of <strong>1</strong>–<strong>5</strong> and their cytotoxicity against selected cancer cell lines were evaluated.

Keywords

• &lt;em&gt;Briareum excavatum&lt;/em&gt;
• briarane-type diterpenoid
• cytotoxicity
• anti-HCMV