Chemical composition of the green alga Codium Divaricatum Holmes

A new sterol, 24-R-stigmasta-4,25-diene-3 beta,6 beta-diol (1), along with three known compounds (2-3), was isolated from the green alga Codium divaricatum Holmes, a traditional Chinese medicine, which is efficacious against cancer. All structures were determined by spectroscopic methods and comparison with related known compounds. Single-crystal X-ray crystallography allowed us to confirm the structure of 1. To our knowledge, the compound 1 is reported as the first from natural source, and compounds 2,4 have not been isolated from green algae before. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.