Chemical diversity of Sarcophyton soft corals in Okinawa

Abstract

A total of 279 specimens belonging to nine species of soft corals of the genus Sarcophyton were subjected to chemical study for the diversity of cembrane diterpenes. Following morphological identification, each specimen was examined for metabolites using gradient HPLC, NMR, and other tools. The S. glaucum and S. cinereum species complex was found to be the most abundant and to contain the most diverse metabolites in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. S. trocheliophorum and S. ehrenbergi were moderately abundant and diverse in metabolites, while other all species seemed to be scarce and restricted in metabolites. During this research we encountered two new compounds (7, 12), whose structures are described in this report.