Plakortinic Acids A and B: Cytotoxic Cycloperoxides with a Bicyclo[4.2.0]octene Unit from Sponges of the Genera Plakortis and Xestospongia

Plakortinic acids A (2) and B (3), two polyketide endoperoxides with a bicyclo[4.2.0]octene unit, were isolated as minor constituents from the sponge-sponge symbiotic association Plakortis halichondrioides-Xestospongia deweerdtae, along with known epiplakinic acid F (1). The structures of the mixture of two inseparable compounds were determined by spectroscopic analysis. Screening for cytotoxic activity of the mixture against two human tumor cell lines revealed that these compounds are very active at sub-micromolar concentration.