Bioactive marine natural products

The chemical exploration of extracts from cultures of the marine bacterial isolate PNG-276 yielded the novel antibiotic tauramamide (2.13), a non-ribosomal peptide active against cultures of Enterococcus sp. and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A study of extracts of the marine sponge Spirastrella coccinea yielded the novel macrolide methylspirastrellolide C (3.14), which is active against protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). A third study examined sponge extracts active in a cannabinoid receptor assay, yielding two known compounds, an A- nor -steroid derivative (4.10) and bengamide A (4.11). Neither purified compound was active in the cannabinoid receptor assay, although in both cases this is the first report of these compounds being isolated from Stylissa massa and Hemiasterella aff. affinis sponges, respectively. [See Thesis for Diagrams]