Cytotoxic Psammaplysin Analogues from a Suberea sp. Marine Sponge and the Role of the Spirooxepinisoxazoline in Their Activity

Abstract

Seventeen bromotyrosine-derived metabolites, including eight new compounds, were isolated from a Micronesian sponge of the genus Suberea. Four of the new compounds were psammaplysin derivatives (10-13), and the other four were ceratinamine derivatives (14-17). Of the compounds obtained, the psammaplysins exhibited cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines (GI(50) values down to 0.8 mu M), while the ceratinamine and moloka'iamine analogues showed almost no activity. These results suggest that the spirooxepinisoxazoline ring system is a requirement for cytotoxicity and, therefore, may serve as an attractive molecular scaffold for the development of a potent anticancer agent.