Esmodil: An Acetylcholine Mimetic Resurfaces in a Southern Australian Marine Sponge Raspailia (Raspailia) SP

Abstract

Bioassay directed fractionation of a Raspailia (Raspailia) sp. (Order Poecilosclerida; Family Raspailiidae) collected during scientific trawling operations off the Northern Rottnest Shelf yielded as nematocidal agents the known metabolites, phorboxazoles A (1) and B (2). Further examination revealed the new natural product but known synthetic compound, esmodil (3). The structure for 3 was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis and total synthesis.

Keywords:

• Esmodil
• Raspailia (Raspailia) sp.
• Nematocides

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the CSIRO Division of Oceanography, and the crew and scientific personnel aboard the O.R.V. Frankin for collection of the Raspailia (Raspailia) specimen. We also acknowledge taxonomic classification by L. Goudie. This research was supported by the Australian Research Council and Novartis Animal Health Australasia.