Exploration of a soft coral (Briareum sp.) from Vanuatu led to the isolation of three new briaranes, designated brialalepolides A (1), B (2), and C (3). Compounds 2 and 3 reduced the expression of COX-2 in human colon adenocarcinoma cells, as well as in murine macrophage cells. This is significant because the metabolic products of COX-2 have been implicated in the pathogenesis of colon cancer and other diseases.
Natural Products Discovery Group, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, 101 Stephenson Parkway, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA.
