Glaucumolides A and B, Biscembranoids with New Structural Type from a Cultured Soft Coral Sarcophyton glaucum

Glaucumolides A (1) and B (2), novel biscembranes composed of an unprecedented a, beta-unsaturated e-lactone, along with the known metabolites ximaolide A (3) and isosarcophytonolide D (4), were isolated from the cultured soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum. The structures of the new metabolites were determined by extensive spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 1 and 2 were shown to exhibit cytotoxicity against a limited panel of cancer cell lines. In anti-inflammation assay, compounds 1 and 2 displayed strong inhibition of superoxide anion generation and elastase release in human neutrophils stimulated by fMLP/CB. Furthermore, both 1 and 2 were shown to significantly inhibit the accumulation of the pro-inflammatory inducible nitric oxide synthase protein, and compounds 1-3 were found to effectively reduce the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 protein, in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells.