In a continuation of our efforts to identify bioactive compounds from Red Sea Verongid sponges, the organic extract of the sponge
Suberea species afforded seven compounds including two new dibrominated alkaloids, subereamollines C and D (
1 and
2), together with the
[...] Read more.
In a continuation of our efforts to identify bioactive compounds from Red Sea Verongid sponges, the organic extract of the sponge
Suberea species afforded seven compounds including two new dibrominated alkaloids, subereamollines C and D (
1 and
2), together with the known compounds aerothionin (
3),
homoaerothionin (
4), aeroplysinin-1 (
5), aeroplysinin-2 (
6) and a revised subereaphenol C (
7) as ethyl 2-(2,4-dibromo-3,6-dihydroxyphenyl)acetate. The structures of the isolated compounds were assigned by different spectral data including optical rotations, 1D (
1H and
13C) and 2D (COSY, multiplicity-edited HSQC, and HMBC) NMR and high-resolution mass spectroscopy. Aerothionin (
3) and subereaphenol C (
7) displayed potent cytotoxic activity against HeLa cell line with IC
50 values of 29 and 13.3 µM, respectively. In addition, aeroplysinin-2 (
6) showed potent antimigratory activity against the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 with IC
50 of 18 µM. Subereamollines C and D are new congeners of the previously reported compounds subereamollines A and B with methyl ester functionalities on the side chain. These findings provide further insight into the biosynthetic capabilities of members of the genus
Suberea and the chemical diversity as well as the biological activity of these compounds.
Full article
