Bolinaquinone: a novel cytotoxic sesquiterpene hydroxyquinone from a Philippine Dysidea sponge

Bolinaquinone, a sesquiterpene hydroxyquinone, was isolated and purified from the Philippine sponge Dysidea. The compound's molecular formula is C22H30O4. Bolinaquinone has a rearranged drimane skeleton and a different position for the hydroxyquinone moiety. It has been shown to be cytotoxic against a colon tumor cell line, against Bacillus subtilis and a Chinese hamster ovary cell line. The results of the characterization studies undertaken are presented.