ABSTRACT
This review presents the most recent chemical and biological investigations on one of the marine invertebrates, gorgonian octocoral. It summarizes all 432 new compounds published in 2002-2009, which consists of 46 sesquiterpenoids (including 2 new natural products, NNP), 282 diterpenoids (including 4 from Pennatulacea octocoral and one artifact), 76 steroids, and 29 alkaloids or other types (2 NNP included). In this paper, according to the structure division, the new compounds are described in combination with the taxonomy of the investigated animals, and its simultaneous bioactivity results. Novel skeletons and complex structures are paid most emphasis on its features, means of structural elucidation and the proposed biogenesis pathway. The source of all new compounds and the different diterpenoid skeleton types are all listed and analyzed, as well as the commonly used Chinese names or some proposed ones for diterpenoid skeletons. Furthermore, this papers deals with all biological test toward the gorgonian new metabolites, i.e. anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial(against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis etc), anti-malaria, and anti-fouling as well, in which anti-cancer activity and cytotoxicity were additionally, a discussion and prospect are proposed regarding chemical overview on gorgonian. This review, hopefully, can be useful in proving data and references for further chemical and biological research of China sea gorgonian, for the studies on chemical ecology, and for the discovery of new and bioactive compounds or the marine-derived leading targets.