Patagonicol: a diterpenoid from the Chinese soft coral Alcyonium patagonicum

Alcyonium Octocorals: Potential Source of Diverse Bioactive Terpenoids

Alcyonium corals are benthic animals, which live in different climatic areas, including temperate, Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters. They were found to produce different chemical substances with molecular diversity and unique architectures. These metabolites embrace several terpenoidal classes with different functionalities. This wide array of structures supports the productivity of genus Alcyonium. Yet, majority of the reported compounds are still biologically unscreened and require substantial efforts to explore their importance. This review is an entryway to push forward the bio-investigation of this genus. It covers the era from the beginning of reporting metabolites from Alcyonium up to March 2019. Ninety-two metabolites are presented; forty-two sesquiterpenes, twenty-five diterpenes and twenty-five steroids have been reported from sixteen species.

Synthesis of four diastereomers of sclerophytin F and structural reassignment of several sclerophytin natural products

Synthesis of the triol that has been proposed to be the marine natural product sclerophytin F has been completed along with the syntheses of three diastereomers. Comparison of the NMR spectroscopic data for all four compounds to the data reported for the natural product reveals that sclerophytin F is not the 3S diastereomer of sclerophytin A as proposed by Friedrich and Paquette. Re-analysis of the NMR spectroscopic data for known sclerophytin natural products and synthetic analogues leads to the conclusion that sclerophytins E and F are the same compound. This finding has allowed structural reassignment of several other cladiellin natural products.

Total synthesis of the purported structure of sclerophytin F

The synthesis of the compound that has been proposed to be the natural product sclerophytin F has been completed from a known vinylogous carbonate. The synthetic strategy relied upon rearrangement of a catalytically generated ylide-like intermediate to produce an oxabicyclo[6.2.1]-5-undecen-9-one and an intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction to construct the complete tricyclic core found in the natural product. Comparison of the spectroscopic data for synthetic material to that reported for sclerophytin F shows that the natural product does not have the revised structure possessing the 3S configuration (*) proposed previously.

Antifouling eunicellin-type diterpenoids from the gorgonian Astrogorgia sp

Twelve new eunicellin-based diterpenoids, astrogorgins B-M (1-12), were isolated from a Chinese gorgonian Astrogorgia sp., together with ophirin, muricellin, astrogorgin, calicophirins A and B, and 14-deacetoxycalicophirin B. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with data reported in the literature. Significant antifouling activity was observed for 14-deacetoxycalicophirin B against the larval settlement of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite at nontoxic concentrations with an EC(50) = 0.59 μg/mL, while the other analogues were effective within an EC(50) range of 5.14-17.8 μg/mL.

Klysimplexins I-T, eunicellin-based diterpenoids from the cultured soft coral Klyxum simplex

New eunicellin-base diterpenoids, klysimplexins I-T (1-12), were isolated from a cultured soft coral Klyxum simplex. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, particularly in 1D and 2D NMR experiments. The absolute stereochemistry of 4 was determined by Mosher's method. Compounds 9 and 12 have been shown to exhibit cytotoxicity toward a limited panel of cancer cell lines. Compounds 2-6, 10 and 11 were found to display significant in vitro anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells by inhibiting the expression of the iNOS protein. Compounds 10 and 11 also could effectively reduce the level of COX-2 protein.

Pachycladins A-E, prostate cancer invasion and migration inhibitory Eunicellin-based diterpenoids from the red sea soft coral Cladiella pachyclados

Alcyonaria species are among the important marine invertebrate classes that produce a wealth of chemically diverse bioactive diterpenes. Examples of these are the potent microtubule disruptor sarcodictyins and eleutherobin. The genus Cladiella has proven to be a rich source of cytotoxic eunicellin-based diterpenoids. Five new eunicellin diterpenes, pachycladins A-E (1-5), were isolated from the Red Sea soft coral Cladiella pachyclados. The known sclerophytin A Cladiellisin, 3-acetylcladiellisin, 3,6-diacetylcladiellisin, (+)-polyanthelin A, klysimplexin G, klysimplexin E, sclerophytin F methyl ether, (6Z)-cladiellin (cladiella-6Z,11(17)-dien-3-ol), sclerophytin B, and patagonicol were also identified. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by extensive interpretation of their spectroscopic data. These compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit growth, proliferation, invasion, and migration of the prostate cancer cells PC-3. Some of the new metabolites exhibited significant anti-invasive activity.

A unified strategy for enantioselective total synthesis of cladiellin and briarellin diterpenes: total synthesis of briarellins E and F and the putative structure of alcyonin and revision of its structure assignment

Enantioselective total syntheses of briarellin E (12) and briarellin F (13), as well as the structure originally proposed for the cladiellin diterpene alcyonin (10), have been realized. Comparison of the spectral data for synthetic 10, natural alcyonin, cladiellisin (33), and cladiellaperoxide (34), as well as chemical transformations of 10 and natural alcyonin, suggest that the structure of this coral metabolite is allylic peroxide 11. The unified approach detailed herein can be used to access both C4-deoxygenated and C4-oxygenated cladiellins and briarellins. The central step in these syntheses is acid-promoted condensation of (Z)-alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes 17 with cyclohexadienyl diols 18 to form intermediates 16 incorporating the hexahydroisobenzofuran core and five stereocenters of these marine diterpenes (Scheme 1 ).

3Alpha,7alpha,12alpha-triacetoxy-5beta-cholanic acid, a steroid from the Formosan soft coral Alcyonium sp. (Alcyoniidae)

Chemical investigation of the organic extract of a soft coral belonging to the genus Alcyonium furnished a steroid, 3alpha,7alpha,12alpha-triacetoxy-5beta-cholanic acid (1). The structure of steroid 1 was assigned on the basis of spectroscopic evidence, particularly in 1D and 2D NMR experiments. The configuration of steroid 1 was further supported by molecular mechanics calculations.

The sclerophytin A adventure

The structural designation A originally made by Sharma and Alam to sclerophytin A was considered to be ambiguous and so notably strained relative to B that the latter was targeted for de novo synthesis (Scheme 1). Our two successful routes began with (5S)-(d-menthyloxy)-2(5H)-furanone and involved the application of cycloaddition, Claisen ring expansion, transannular oxymercuration, and 1,2-carbonyl transposition tactics to arrive at B. It was immediately apparent from polarity considerations and spectroscopic data that the antileukemic marine metabolite in question was in need of more deep-seated structural revision. Following close re-examination of an acquired authentic sample by advanced NMR techniques, the strong inference was made that sclerophytin A actually lacked a second oxygen bridge and was in reality the triol C. This conclusion was unequivocally confirmed by diverting an advanced intermediate generated earlier into a short sequence beginning with regiocontrolled dihydroxylation and terminating with configurational inversion at the secondary carbinol center. The status of other members of this series is also presented.

Structural and stereochemical reassessment of sclerophytin-type diterpenes

A complete reassessment of the structural assignments of the sclerophytin diterpenes is provided.

Total asymmetric synthesis of the putative structure of the cytotoxic diterpenoid (-)-sclerophytin a and of the authentic natural sclerophytins A and B

An enantioselective synthetic route to the thermodynamically most stable diastereomer of the structure assigned to sclerophytin A (5) has been realized. The required tricyclic ketone 33 was prepared by sequential Tebbe-Claisen rearrangement of lactones 29 and 30, which originated from the Diels-Alder cycloaddition of Danishefsky's diene to (5S)-5-(d-menthyloxy)-2(5H)-furanone (14). An allyl and a cyano group were introduced into the resulting adduct by means of stereocontrolled allylindation under aqueous Barbier-like conditions and by way of cyanotrimethylsilane, respectively. Following stereocontrolled nucleophilic addition of a methyl group to 33, ring A was elaborated by formation of the silyl enol ether, ytterbium triflate-catalyzed condensation with formaldehyde, O-silylation, and Cu(I)-promoted 1,4-addition of isopropylmagnesium chloride. The superfluous ketone carbonyl was subsequently removed and the second ether bridge introduced by means of oxymercuration chemistry. Only then was the exocyclic methylene group unmasked via elimination. An alternative approach to the alpha-carbinol diastereomer proceeds by initial alpha-oxygenation of 37 and ensuing 1,2-carbonyl transposition. Neither this series of steps nor the Wittig olefination to follow induced epimerization at C10. Through deployment of oxymercuration chemistry, it was again possible to elaborate the dual oxygen-bridge network of the target ring system. Oxidation of the organomercurial products with O(2) in the presence of sodium borohydride furnished 72, which was readily separated from its isomer 73 after oxidation to 61. Hydride attack on this ketone proceeded with high selectivity from the beta-direction to deliver (-)-60. Comparison of the high-field (1)H and (13)C NMR properties and polarity of synthetic 5 with natural material required that structural revision be made. Following a complete spectral reassessment of the structural assignments to many sclerophytin diterpenes, a general approach to sclerophytin A, three diastereomers thereof, and of sclerophytin B was devised. The presence of two oxygen bridges as originally formulated was thereby ruled out, and absolute configurations were properly determined. Key elements of the strategy include dihydroxylation of a medium-ring double bond, oxidation of the secondary hydroxyl in the two resulting diols, unmasking of an exocyclic methylene group at C-11, and stereocontrolled 1,2-reduction of the alpha-hydroxy ketone functionality made available earlier.

Synthesis of the alleged structure of sclerophytin A. The setting of two oxygen bridges within the fused cyclodecanol B ring is not Nature's Way

[reaction: see text] The structure attributed to sclerophytin A, a cytotoxic soft coral metabolite, was synthesized in an enantioselective manner from (5S)-5-(d-menthyloxy)-2(5H)-furanone. The spectral properties and polarity of the synthetic product require that the structural assignment to the natural material be revised.

Revised constitution of sclerophytins A and B

[structure: see text] Spectroscopic reevaluation of sclerophytin B, the acetate of sclerophytin A, has demonstrated unequivocally that these coral metabolites are not composed of two ether bridges.