title: Mechanism-based antitumor screening of Caribbean marine organisms: isolation and structure determination of novel diterpenoids from the gorgonian Eunicea tourneforti.
abstract: As part of a collaborative research effort between the University of the Virgin Islands and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, we carried out the extraction and bioassay of 87 marine organisms in a mechanism-based assay involving genetically altered yeast strains. Of these, nineteen showed differential activity between the mutant and wild-type yeast strains indicating the presence of potential DNA interacting agents. We now report the isolation and characterization of five new diterpenoids, 2-6, together with the previously known diterpenoid 1, from the bioactive extracts of the gorgonian Eunicea tourneforti forma atra. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined by employing a variety of one- and two-dimensional nmr methods.
authors.affiliation: Division of Science and Mathematics, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas 00802.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Govindan
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Govindan
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Kingston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003063:Cnidaria / Q000737:chemistry*; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D011161:Porifera / Q000737:chemistry*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000187:drug effects; D014767:United States Virgin Islands
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004224:Diterpenes