New cembranoids and a biscembranoid peroxide from the soft coral sarcophyton cherbonnieri

Six new cembranoids, cherbonolides A−E (1-5) and bischerbolide peroxide (6), along with one known cembranoid, isosarcophine (7), were isolated from the Formosan soft coral Sarcophyton cherbonnieri. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods. Compound 6 was discovered to be the first example of a molecular skeleton formed from two cembranoids connected by a peroxide group. Compounds 1-7 were shown to have the ability of inhibiting the production of superoxide anions and elastase release in N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine/cytochalasin B (fMLF/CB)-induced human neutrophils.