Two new cytotoxic tetrabromodibenzo-p-dioxins, spongiadioxins A (1) and B (2), were isolated from an Australian marine sponge Dysidea dendyi. The structures of these compounds were established by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, X-ray analysis of the methyl ether of spongiadioxin A (3), and synthesis of the methyl ether of spongiadioxin B (4) from diphenyl ether (9) isolated from Dysidea herbacea.

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Two new minor tribromodibenzo-p-dioxins, spongiadioxin C (1) and its methyl ether (2), were isolated from an Australian marine sponge Dysidea dendyi, together with the known minor metabolites methyl ethers of spongiadioxins A (4) and B (6) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (7-9). The structures of the new compounds were established by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and confirmed by synthesis of 2 from diphenyl ether 9. All isolated compounds inhibited the cell division of fertilized sea urchin eggs.

The absolute stereochemistry of the sponge metabolite cyclosmenospongine (1) was determined as 5R, 8S, 9R, 10S by chemical correlation. Substitution of the methoxyl group by an amino group in the cyclic product 3 of acid-catalyzed rearrangement of ilimaquinone (5) afforded cyclosmenospongine 1. Cyclosmenospongine was also obtained by acid-catalyzed cyclization of smenospongine (6).