Cold-water marine natural products

Marine natural products isolated from organisms collected from cold-water habitats are described. Emphasis is on bioactive compounds from tunicates, sponges, microbes, bryozoans, corals, algae, molluscs and echinoderms. Synthetic studies of several important classes of cold-water compounds are highlighted.     

Antimalarial natural products of marine and freshwater origin

This review highlights recently discovered antimalarial natural products from marine and freshwater sources described in the literature from 2006 to 2008. The structures as well as bioactivities of compounds against the malaria parasites such as Plasmodium falciparum are discussed, including, for example, agelasine, xestoquinone, alisiaquinone, crambescidin, venturamide, dragomabin, gragonamide, viridamide, salinosporamide, chaetoxanthone, nodulisporacid, tumonoic acid, girolline, oroidin, nostocarboline, aerucyclamide, and microcylamide 7806 and its revised structure. Synthetic derivatives of natural products are presented including plakortin, isoaaptamine, curcuphenol, pseudopyronine, manzamine, and nostocarboline. Consequences of these discoveries for the development of novel natural product agents against malaria are discussed. © 2009 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 9: 187–198; 2009: Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ) DOI 10.1002/tcr.200900001     

Regioselective synthesis of gentisyl alcohol-type marine natural products

Gentisyl alcohol-type natural products, possessing various important biological properties, have been synthesized from 4-methoxyphenol by using a selective phenol monohydroxymethylation/monochlorination, a CAN oxidation and a sodium dithionite reduction as the key steps. The natural product synthesis is efficient, atom- and step-economical, and requires no protecting groups.     

Vanadium bromoperoxidase-catalyzed biosynthesis of halogenated marine natural products

Marine red algae (Rhodophyta) are a rich source of bioactive halogenated natural products. The biogenesis of the cyclic halogenated terpene marine natural products, in particular, has attracted sustained interest in part because terpenes are the biogenic precursors of many bioactive metabolites. The first enzymatic asymmetric bromination and cyclization of a terpene, producing marine natural products isolated from red algae, is reported. Vanadium bromoperoxidase (V-BrPO) isolated from marine red algae (species of Laurencia, Plocamium, Corallina) catalyzes the bromination of the sesquiterpene (E)-(+)-nerolidol producing alpha-, beta-, and gamma-snyderol and (+)-3beta-bromo-8-epicaparrapi oxide. alpha-Snyderol, beta-snyderol, and (+)-3beta-bromo-8-epicaparrapi oxide have been isolated from Laurencia obtusa, and each have also been isolated from other species of marine red algae. gamma-Snyderol is a proposed intermediate in other bicyclo natural products. Single diastereomers of beta-snyderol, gamma-snyderol, and mixed diastereomers of (+)-3beta-bromo-8-epicaparrapi oxide (de = 20-25%) are produced in the enzyme reaction, whereas two diastereomers of these compounds are formed in the synthesis with 2,4,4,6-tetrabromocyclohexa-2,5-dienone (TBCO). V-BrPO likely functions by catalyzing the two-electron oxidation of bromide ion by hydrogen peroxide producing a bromonium ion or equivalent in the active site that brominates one face of the terminal olefin of nerolidol. These results establish V-BrPO's role in the biosynthesis of brominated cyclic sesquiterpene structures from marine red algae for the first time.     

Photochemical activity of membrane-localised polyketide derived marine natural products

Marine organisms rely upon complex bio-chemical systems to manage photo-induced oxidative damage as part of a sophisticated chemical defense. Using a combination of synthetic chemistry and biophysical techniques, we provide evidence to support the notion that marine derived polyene γ-pyrone metabolites of sacoglossan molluscs become localised at cell membranes where they influence the total absorption of the harmful radiation by the lipid membrane, thereby functioning as sunscreen agents. We also report two new hyperperoxide analogues of the putative polyene biosynthetic precursors that themselves are likely candidate natural products.     

Highlights of marine natural products chemistry (1972-1999)

Marine Natural Products Chemistry is essentially a child of the 1970's that developed rapidly during the 1980's and matured in the last decade. With a few notable exceptions, it is difficult to select individual papers that significantly impacted the field. However, marine natural products chemistry has often influenced other fields and that aspect is the focus of this review. It is clear that the early directions taken by marine natural products chemists drew as much from the examples provided by insect chemical ecology as from the longer history of phytochemistry. By 1975 there were already three parallel tracks in marine natural products chemistry: marine toxins, marine biomedicinals and marine chemical ecology. It is the integration of the three fields of study that has given marine natural products chemistry its unique character and vigour.     

选择性INEPT在海洋天然产物结构研究中的应用

本文介绍一种灵敏度高, 实验容易建立的一维NMR技术, 用于检测远程的C-H偶合(^2Jch和^3Jch), 这种技术称为选择性INEPT(下称SINEPT)。是常规INEPT实验的改进。它能使磁化转移从某一指定的质子到与之有远程标量偶合的核上(如^1^3C或^1^5N), 因而可以有效地确定远程的 C-H 偶合, 其敏感性与常规的INEPT实验相当。SINEPT 技术已广泛应用于有机化合物的结构解析中, 尤其是在天然产物的结构确证和^1^3C的指定中起了相当重要的作用。     

Natural products from medicinal plants: non-alkaloidal natural constituents of the Thalictrum species

Thalictrum is an important plant genus that is widely used in traditional medicine. In this review considerable attention has been given to triterpenoid saponins in connection with their specific distribution in the Thalictrum genus and with their biological activity. All other non-alkaloid compounds isolated from the Thalictrum genus are also reviewed; these metabolites are discussed in relation to their structural features and to their role in the plants.     

Some recent advances in the synthesis of polycyclic imidazole-containing marine natural products

This Highlight describes some of the recent synthetic work on imidazole-containing alkaloids isolated from marine sponges. Target molecules have been chosen which demonstrate synthetic strategies leading towards metabolites containing intact imidazole moieties as well as systems bearing modified imidazole rings.     

First total synthesis of yanuthones: novel farnesylated epoxycyclohexenoid marine natural products

The total synthesis of the recently isolated marine natural products of mixed biosynthetic origin, yanuthones A, B, C and 22-deacylyanuthone A, has been accomplished following a short regio- and stereocontrolled approach involving the key intermediacy of 2-farnesyl-p-benzoquinone.     

The role of vanadium bromoperoxidase in the biosynthesis of halogenated marine natural products

Halogenated natural products are frequently reported metabolites in marine seaweeds. These compounds span a range from halogenated indoles, terpenes, acetogenins, phenols, etc., to volatile halogenated hydrocarbons that are produced on a very large scale. In many cases these halogenated marine metabolites possess biological activities of pharmacological interest. Given the abundance of halogenated marine natural products found in marine organisms and their potentially important biological activities, the biogenesis of these compounds has intrigued marine natural product chemists for decades. Over a quarter of a century ago, a possible role for haloperoxidase enzymes was first suggested in the biogenesis of certain halogenated marine natural products, although this was long before haloperoxidases were discovered in marine organisms. Since that time, FeHeme- and Vanadium-haloperoxidases (V-HPO) have been discovered in many marine organisms. The structure and catalytic activity of vanadium haloperoxidases is reviewed herein, including the importance of V-HPO-catalyzed bromination and cyclization of terpene substrates.