A new cembrane diterpene, 6-acetoxy-7,8-epoxynephthenol acetate (1) was isolated along with a known compound, epoxynephthenol acetate (2), from the organic extract of a Bornean soft coral Nephthea sp. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses and comparison with those previous literature data.

A new norcembranoidal diterpene, 1-epi-sinulanorcembranolide A (1), and a new cembranoidal diterpene, flexibilin D (2), were isolated from the soft corals, Sinularia gaweli and Sinularia flexibilis, respectively. The structures of new metabolites 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, and compound 2 was found to significantly inhibit the accumulation of the pro-inflammatory iNOS and ...

Digging up skeletons: We report the identification and the functional characterization of two terpene cyclases (DtcycA and DtcycB) that were mined from the genome of Streptomyces sp. SANK 60404. DtcycA and DtcycB are novel bacterial diterpene cyclases for the synthesis of the cembrane skeleton.

Structural modification of salvinorin A, the active component of Salvia divinorum, has resulted in the synthesis of novel neoclerodane diterpenes with opioid receptor affinity and activity. We report in this study a nonnitrogenous neoclerodane diterpene with mu opioid receptor affinity (13) that is an agonist at mu opioid receptors. This represents the identification of a novel structural class...

Three new cembrane-type diterpenoids, flexibilins A-C (1-3), along with a known cembrane, (-)-sandensolide (4), were isolated from the soft coral, Sinularia flexibilis. The structures of cembranes 1-4 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The structure of 4, including its absolute stereochemistry, was further confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Cembrane 2 displayed a mod...

A new rare casbane-type diterpenoid 1 and two new cembrane diterpenoids 2, 3 were isolated from an Okinawan soft coral, Lobophytum sp., together with four known cembrane diterpenoids 4-7. Their structures were elucidated by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data (1D and 2D NMR, IR, and MS) and a molecular modeling study. The new isolates showed weak anti-bacterial activity, mild cytotoxicity ...