Two new biscembranes with unprecedented carbon skeleton and their probable biogenetic precursor from the Hainan soft coral Sarcophyton latum.

A new cembranolide diterpene, isosarcophytonolide D (1), and two biscembranes with an unprecedented fused carbon skeleton, bislatumlides A (3) and B (4), were isolated from the Hainan soft coral Sarcophyton latum. Their structures and relative stereochemistry were established by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques. Compounds 3 and 4 should be obtained by Diels-Alder addition of two cembranoid units. Compound 1 could be one of the biosynthetic precursors. Both 3 and 4 showed mild cytotoxicity toward A549, HT-29, and P388 cell lines.