Isolation and pharmacological activities of bromophenols from Rhodomela confervoides

Four bromophenols were isolated from the extract of marine red alga,Rhodomela confervoides by column chromatography and HPLC methods. By means of spectroscopic methods inclding IR, MS, 1D, and 2D-NMR techniques, their structures were elucidated as (1) 3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxy benzoic acid methyl ester; (2) bis (2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzyl) ether; (3) 3,4-dibromo-5-(methoxymethyl)-1,2-benzenediol and (4) 3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxy-benzaldehyde. Compound 1 was first isolated from the algae in nature, and 1, 4 were found to have selective cytotoxic activities against KB, Bel 7402 and A549 cells, 2 showed powerful antibacterial activities againstStaphylococcus aurens andPseudomonas aeruginosa. Supported by National “863” Program (No. 2004AA625030, 2001AA620503), Quingdao marine sciences project (No. 04-2-NN-26) and Key Knowledge Innovative Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX3-SW-215).