Novel antimycobacterial benzoxazole alkaloids, from the west Indian Sea whip Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae.

A D Rodríguez, C Ramírez, I I Rodríguez, E González

Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, USA.

Organic letters 1999 Aug 12

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formula: see text] Our screening for marine natural products with anti-tuberculosis activity from the West Indian gorgonian coral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae resulted in the isolation of two active diterpenoid alkaloids, pseudopteroxazole (1) and seco-pseudopteroxazole (2). Their structures were elucidated by NMR spectral analysis, including a variety of two-dimensional techniques. Compounds 1 and 2 are previously undescribed diterpenoids containing the uncommon benzoxazole moiety. Biological screening studies indicated that pseudopteroxazole (1) is a potent growth inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, while seco-pseudopteroxazole (2) shows moderate to strong inhibitorial activity.

Citation

A D Rodríguez, C Ramírez, I I Rodríguez, E González. Novel antimycobacterial benzoxazole alkaloids, from the west Indian Sea whip Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae. Organic letters. 1999 Aug 12;1(3):527-30