Sebastianines A and B, novel biologically active pyridoacridine alkaloids from the Brazilian ascidian Cystodytes dellechiajei.

Fractionation of the crude methanol extract of the ascidian Cystodytes dellechiajei collected in Brazil yielded two novel alkaloids, sebastianine A (1) and sebastianine B (2). The structures of both 1 and 2 were established by analysis of spectroscopic data, indicating an unprecedented ring system for both compounds, comprising a pyridoacridine system fused with a pyrrole unit in sebastianine A (1) and a pyridoacridine system fused with a pyrrolidine system condensed with alpha-hydroxyisovaleric acid in sebastianine B (2). Both alkaloids displayed a cytotoxic profile against a panel of HCT-116 colon carcinoma cells indicative of a p53 dependent mechanism.