Cembranoid Diterpenes from the Soft Coral Lobophytum crassum and Their Anti-inflammatory Activities

Abstract

Nine cembranoid diterpenes 1–9, including four new compounds, crassumols D–G (1–4), were isolated from the methanol extract of the Vietnamese soft coral Lobophytum crassum. Spectroscopic methods were used to elucidate the structures of these compounds. Compound 5 exhibited a potent inhibitory effect on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα)-induced nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) transcriptional activation in HepG2 cells and significantly inhibited the mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in a dose-dependent manner.