In the marine sponge Terpios hoshinota (from Okinawa, Japan) a molecule was found (Nakiterpiosin) that is cytotoxic against certain cells of leukemia. The compound was extracted from the sponge and the chemical structure analyzed. In 2009 researches were able to synthesize this molecule and revise the original structure. This is a nice example of biological active compounds from marine organisms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lit.: Shuanhu Gao, Qiaoling Wang and Chuo Chen, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 131 (2009) 1410–1412.