Zoanthamine-Type Alkaloids from the Zoanthid Zoanthus kuroshio Collected in Taiwan and Their Effects on Inflammation

Zoanthus kuroshio is a colorful zoanthid with a fluorescent pink oral disc and brown tentacles, which dominates certain parts of the Taiwanese and Japanese coasts. This sea anemone is a rich source of biologically active alkaloids. In the current investigation, two novel halogenated zoanthamines [5 alpha-iodozoanthenamine (1) and 11 beta-chloro-11-deoxykuroshine A (2)], along with four new zoanthamines [18-epi-kuroshine A (3), 7 alpha-hydroxykuroshine E (4), 5 alpha-methoxykuroshine E (5), and 18-epi-kuroshine E (6)], and six known compounds were isolated from Z. kuroshio. Compounds 1 and 2 are the first examples of halogenated zoanthamine-type alkaloids isolated from nature. Compounds 3 and 6 are the first zoanthamine stereoisomers with a cis-junction of the A/B rings. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities by measuring their effects on superoxide anion generation and elastase release by human neutrophils in response to fMLP.