From our search for compounds from marine organisms with potential pharmacological utility, a violet pigment that exhibits antitumor, antiviral, and immunomodulatory properties in vitro 1 and antitumor properties in vivo was discovered. From spectroscopic analysis, including long-range 1H-13C correlation and natural abundance 13C—13C NMR experiments, the structure elucidation of this fused pentacyclic aromatic alkaloid, which we have designated dercitin (1), was achieved. This alkaloid represents a unique variation on fused-ring alkaloids previously found in marine organisms. 2
This document is the accepted manuscript version of a published work that appeared in final form in Journal of the American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja00222a071. This article may be cited as: Gunawardana, G. P., Kohmoto, S., Gunasekera, S. P., McConnell, O. J., & Koehn, F. E. (1988). Dercitin, a new biologically active acridine alkaloid from a deep water marine sponge, Dercitus sp. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 110(14), 4856-4858. doi:10.1021/ja00222a071
Florida Atlantic University. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute contribution #648.