New lipids from the soft corals of the Andaman Islands

Sphingolipids and glycolipids including previously unknown (2S,3S,4R)-1,3,4-trihydroxy-2-(2-(R)-hydroxyoctadecanoylamino)octadec-8E-ene, (2S,3R)-1,3-dihydroxy-2-octadecanoylamino-4E,8E-hexadecadiene, and (2-hydroxy-3-hexadecyloxypropyl)--L-fucopyranoside were isolated from soft corals collected on the shelf near the Andaman Islands (Indian Ocean). The structures of all compounds were established by spectroscopic methods and chemical analyses. The lipids possessed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus oryzae, and Candida albicans.