Manzamines have been reported to show a number of significant biological activities including insecticidal, 1) cytotoxicity, 2) antibacterial, 3) anti-HIV-I, 4) anti-infective, 5) antiAlzheimer diseases, 6) and anti-malarial activity. 7) Manzamine A · HCl (6) was first isolated from the marine sponge Haliclona sp. as an antitumor alkaloid by Higa's group.2) Histrorically, manzamine A was also isolated from a marine sponge, Pellina sp. as an antimicrobial alkaloid, and named keramamine-A by Nakamura's group.3) Manzamine A and keramamine-A were also isolated as a hydrochloric salt, and these structures were determined by X-ray analysis. In our ongoing research for neuronal differentiation inducers from marine invertebrates, 8) we isolated two manzamine-class alkaloids manzamine A (1) and 8-hydroxymanzamine A (2) 9) as free base forms, together with three known manzamine alkaloids manzamine E (3), 10) manzamine F (4), 10) and manzamine X (5) 11) from an Okinawan marine sponge Acanthostrongylophora aff. ingens.1 H-and 13 C-NMR spectra of 1 and 2 were quite different from the reported data. We investigated their structure determination by using 2D-NMR extensively. This paper reports the isolation, structural elucidation and neuritogenic activity against mouse neurobrastoma cell lines (Neuro 2a) of these manzamine-class alkaloids.The Et 2 O soluble fraction obtained from the EtOH extract of a Japanese marine sponge, A. ingens collected at Hedo Peninsula, Okinawa showed neuritogenic activity against Neuro 2a. Bioassay guided separation of the active fraction by Sephadex LH-20 and silica gel chromatography to give two active alkaloids manzamine A (1) and 8-hydroxymanzamine A (2) together with three known alkaloids manzamine E (3), manzamine F (4), and manzamine X (5) (Chart 1).Manzamine A (1) was obtained as a yellow solid, positive to Dragendorff reagent. The EI-MS showed a molecular ion peak at m/z 548, and the molecular formula was determined as C 36 H 44 N 4 O [MϩH] ϩ from the HR-ESI-MS. The UV spectral showed characteristic absorbance of the b-carboline chromophore at 219, 237, 279, 347, and 357 nm. On the basis of 1D-NMR and COSY, TOCSY, HSQC, HMBC, and HSQC-TOCSY spectral data, 1 consists of a b-carboline substituent, two six-membered rings, a 13-membered macrocycle consisting of a chain of nine carbon atoms bridging two six-membered rings, and an eight-numbered ring. It has been suggested that 1 has the same planar structure as manzamine A · HCl (6) (Fig. 1). The comparison of 1 H-and 13 C-NMR chemical shifts between 1 and 6, and the large differences at C26-C29 and C32-C34 in eight-numbered rings were ob- Two manzamine-class alkaloids, manzamine A (1) and 8-hydroxymanzamine (2) were isolated from a Japanese marine sponge Acanthostrongylophora aff. ingens, together with three known alkaloids manzamine E (3), manzamine F (4), and manzamine X (5). The spectral features of 1 and 2 were different from the reported data. Detailed structure analysis using 2D NMR revealed the structure of 1 and 2 as a free base form ...