Soft corals of the genus Lobophytum are recognized for their prolific production of marine natural products, particularly terpenoids and oxygenated steroids, many of which exhibit potent bioactivities. No insightful review has yet addressed the structural features and bioactivities of natural products from Lobophytum species. The current study provides a state-of-the-art review of phytochemistry and the pharmacological potential of metabolites isolated from Lobophytum species. An extensive literature search was conducted using major scientific databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Reaxys, and Google Scholar, covering a period from the 1970s to the present. The main keywords have been employed in various combinations: “Lobophytum”, “soft coral”, “phytochemistry”, “pharmacology”, and “toxicology”. Only peer-reviewed articles reporting the isolation, structure elucidation, or biological evaluation of compounds derived from Lobophytum were included. Studies focusing solely on taxonomy or ecology without chemical or pharmacological data were excluded. About 520 metabolites, including terpenoids, steroids, prostaglandins, ceramides, alkaloids, and others, have been isolated from various Lobophytum species. The majority of isolated compounds are cembrane-type diterpenoids and oxygenated steroids, many of which display cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, antiprotozoal, and organprotective effects. Key pharmacophores such as α-methylene-γ-lactone and epoxides play a central role in bioactivity. Several compounds were shown to modulate apoptosis, oxidative stress, or antiinflammatory signaling pathways, including NF-κB, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and TGF-β. Lobophytum species are a rich source of structurally unique and pharmacologically relevant natural products. Future research should focus on in vivo validation, pharmacokinetics, toxicity studies, and sustainable sourcing strategies to facilitate drug development.
Dao et al. (2026) studied this question.