Nine cembrane-type diterpenoids, manaarenolides A-I (1-9), along with two known cembranolides, 10 and 11, have been isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the Taiwanese soft coral Sinularia manaarensis. Among these metabolites, diterpenes (1, 2, 5, and 6) were discovered for the first time as the hydroperoxycembranolides possessing a delta-lactone ring. The 13-epimeric metabolites 7 and 8 have been shown to exhibit moderate cytotoxic activity against Hepa59T/VGH, KB, Hela, and Med cancer cell lines. The biosynthetic relationship between these new metabolites and 10 and 11 is also discussed.

This review reports details on the natural products isolated from Taiwan soft corals during the period 2008–2012 focusing on their in vitro and/or in vivo anti-inflammatory activities. Chemical structures, names, and literature references are also reported. This review provides useful and specific information on potent anti-inflammatory marine metabolites for future development of immune-modulatory therapeutics.