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-phenyl-alanine/cytochalasin B (fMLF/CB)-induced human neutrophils.