Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from the Red Sea soft coral Heteroxenia fuscescens

Summary: The Red Sea soft coral Heteroxenia fuscescens has been investigated concerning its secondary metabolites. Analysis of H. fuscescens has led to the isolation of 6-hydroxy -α- muurolene (1), gorgosten-5(E)-3 β-ol (2), 1-nonadecyloxy-2,3-propanediol (3) and (2S,3R,4E,8E)-N-hexadecanoyl-2-amino 4,8-octadecadiene-1,3-diol (4) and sarcoaldosterol A (5). The isolated compounds were reported from several marine organisms and are identified for the first time from the soft coral H. fuscescens collected from the Red Sea. The activity of the alcoholic extract as anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic, anti oxidant is reported. The activity of the isolated compounds against several pathogenic microbes has been also reported. Industrial Relevance: A huge number of secondary metabolites are produced by soft bodied marine organisms to get over predation and infection. Compounds produced by soft bodied marine organisms are different from those produced by terrestrial organisms, and therefore may yield novel lead for antimicrobial drugs. With the diversity in the secondary metabolites and the new activities and mechanism of action marine animals considered an excellent source for new pharmaceuticals. This work is concerned with the isolation of secondary metabolites isolated form the Heteroxenia fuscescens from the red sea and the evaluation of some biological activities. The alcoholic extract of Heteroxenia fuscescens was found to possess antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activity. 6-hydroxy -α- muurolene was active against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with MIC of 19 μg/ml. The alcoholic extract of the organism under study is none toxic so we believe its sterol content could be a good source for safer anti-inflammatory drugs and also the 6-hydroxy -α- muurolene (compound 1) will be a good candidate for more derivatisation studies to optimize its activity and selectivity as antimicrobial.