New Bicyclic Cembranoids from the South China Sea Soft Coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum

Abstract

Nine new bicyclic cembranoids, sarcophytrols M-U (1-9), were isolated from the South China Sea soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum as minor components, along with one known related cembranoid 10. Their structures were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis and chemical conversion. The chemical structures of these metabolites are characterized by the different patterns of the additional cyclization within the 14-member skeleton, which leading to the formation of furan, pyran, oxepane, and peroxyl rings, respectively. Among them, sarcophytrols R and S (6 and 7) share a rare decaryiol skeleton with an unusual C12/C15 cyclization. In addition, the absolute configurations of sarcophytrols M and T (1 and 8) were determined by the modified Mosher's method. The research of these new secondary metabolites provided a further understanding of the diversity of cyclized cembranoids from the title species.