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The Indo-Pacific marine sponge Ircinia ramosa has been found to contain two powerful (GI50 from 0.001 to <0.0001 microg/mL) murine and human cancer cell growth inhibitors. Both were isolated (10(-3)-10(-4)% yields) by cancer cell line bioassay-guided techniques and named irciniastatins A (1) and B (2). Structural elucidation by a combination of spectral analyses, primarily high resolution mass and 2D-NMR (principally APT, HMQC, HMBC, and ROESY) spectroscopy, revealed the unusual structures 1 and 2.

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Bioassay (P388 lymphocytic leukemia cell line and human cancer cell lines)-guided separation of an extract prepared from the stem bark and twigs of the previously uninvestigated Ruprechtia tangarana led to the isolation of a new isocarbostyril designated ruprechstyril (1), secalonic acid A (2), 2'-O-methylevernic acid (3), 3,3',4-tri-O-methylflavellagic acid (4), lichexanthone (5), methyl asterrate (6), and 3beta,22E,24S-stigmasta-5,22-dien-3-ol (7). Only secalonic acid A exhibited cancer cell and microbial growth inhibition. The structure of ruprechstyril (1) was determined by HRMS and 1D and 2D NMR spectra and confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The structures and absolute stereochemistry of five of the other compounds were also established by X-ray crystal structure determination.

A fifteen year investigation of marine animal components as sources for new and potentially useful cancer chemotherapeutic drugs has led to our discovery of a number of such valuable substance. The especially productive Indian Ocean sea hare Dolabella auricularia has yielded (100 kg leads to or approximately 1 mg each) a series of very potent cell growth inhibitory substances designated dolastatins 1-9. The first member of this new series, dolastatin 1, may represent the most potent anticancer agent so far uncovered with, e.g., a curative response (33%) using a dose of 11 microgram/kg (T/C 240, to T/C 139 at 1.37 microgram/kg) in the National Cancer Institute's murine B16 melanoma. Structural elucidation of the new antineoplastic agents is underway, and recent progress is illustrated with peptide dolastatin 3 (P388 ED 50 2.7 x 10(-7) microgram/ml).

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The Chinese medicinal plant Zephyranthes candida was found to contain a cytostatic constituent. Separation of a n-BuOH extract directed by results of a bioassay employing the P-388 lymphocytic leukemia led to trans-dihydronarciclasine [2] as the principal cytostatic agent with ED50 3.2 X 10(-3) micrograms/ml.