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Twenty one sesquiterpenes were isolated from the organic extract of the Caribbean gorgonian Pseudopterogogia rigida. Among them, seven bisabolanes (1, 2, 9–11, 13 and 14), six cadinanes (15–20) and one sesquiterpene featuring a new tricyclic carbon skeleton (21) are new natural products, while two (6 and 7) are reported for the first time from a natural source. The structures of the new compounds were established by detailed analyses of their NMR and MS data. The isolated metabolites were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against CDC25 phosphatases, which represent possible targets related to cancer therapy. Compounds 4 and 18 were the most active with IC50 values of 1.88 and 3.44 μM, respectively, against the CDC25A isoform.

Glandulaurencianols A and B were isolated from the organic extract of the red alga, Laurencia glandulifera, collected from the island of Crete in South Greece. Investigation of the mollusk, Aplysia punctata, collected from the coast of Nea Makri, Central Greece, resulted in the isolation of glandulaurencianols A and C. The structures of the new metabolites, as well as their relative configurations, were established on the basis of thorough analyses of their spectroscopic data.