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Five new diterpenoids 1-5 were isolated from an Okinawan soft coral, Cespitularia sp., together with the known diterpenoid, alcyonolide (6). New diterpenoid structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and by comparison of their NMR data with those of related compounds. Alcyonolide (6) was cytotoxic against HCT 116 cells (IC50 5.85 µM), while these new diterpenoids 1-5 were much less active (IC50 28.2-91.4 µM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical investigation of the soft coral Cespitularia sp. led to the discovery of twelve new verticillane-type diterpenes and norditerpenes: cespitulins H–O (1–8), one cyclic diterpenoidal amide cespitulactam L (9), norditerpenes cespitulin P (10), cespitulins Q and R (11 and 12), four new sesquiterpenes: cespilins A–C (13–15) and cespitulolide (16), along with twelve known metabolites. The structures of these metabolites were established by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 2D NMR experiments. Anti-inflammatory effects of the isolated compounds were studied by evaluating the suppression of pro-inflammatory protein tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) overproduction, and the inhibition of the gene expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), in lipopolysaccharide-induced dendritic cells. A number of these metabolites were found to exhibit promising anti-inflammatory activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]