Bifurcarenone, an inhibitor of mitotic cell division from the brown alga

A C27 hydroquinone, bifurcarenone, apparently produced via mixed biosynthesis, has been isolated from the brown seaweed Bifurcaria galapagensis (Cystoseiraceae). The structure of bifurcarenone was determined by chemical and spectral methods, and this compound was found to exhibit antibacterial properties, as well as to inhibit cell cleavage of the fertilized egg from the urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.