[Bioactive sterols from red alga Acanthophora spicifera boergesen].
OBJECTIVE
To study the chemical constituents of the red alga Acanthophora spicifera boergesen aiming at searching for bioactive leading compounds.


METHODS
Compounds were isolated by various chromatographic techniques including column chromatography over normal phase silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 gel and reverse phase HPLC as well as recrystallization. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods including IR, MS, 1D and 2D NMR techniques. MTT method was used for testing cytotoxicity of compounds against human cancer cell lines HCT-8, Bel-7402, BGC-823, A549 and HELA. Their inhibition against proliferation of dog vascular smooth muscle cells was also screened by MTT assay.


RESULTS
Six sterols were isolated from the ethanolic extract of the red alga Acanthophora spicifera. Their structures were identified as 6-hydroxycholest-4-ene-3-one (1), cholest-4-ene-3, 6-dione (2), cholest-5-ene-3 beta-ol (3), 5 alpha-cholestane-3, 6-dione (4), beta-sitosterol (5) and saringosterol (6).


CONCLUSIONS
Compounds 1-3 and 5 were obtained from this genus for the first time. Compounds 1, 2 and 4 showed moderate cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines.
Han
Lijun
L
Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
Shi
Dayong
D
Xu
Feng
F
Yuan
Zhaohui
Z
Sun
Jie
J
Shi
Jiangong
J
D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006801:Humans; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D000432:Methanol / Q000737:chemistry; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000737:chemistry*; D013261:Sterols / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology*
D013261:Sterols; D000432:Methanol