Ceramides and cerebrosides from the marine bryozoan Bugula neritina inhabiting South China Sea.

From the marine bryozoan Bugula neritina inhabiting South China Sea, a new ceramide named (2S,3R,4E)-2-(14'-methyl-pentadecanoylamino)-4-octadecene-l,3-diol (1) and a new cerebroside named 1-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(2S,3R,4E)-2-(heptadecanoylamino)-4-octadecene-l,3-diol (6), together with one known ceramide (2) and three known cerebrosides (3, 4, and 5), were isolated. Their structures were deduced by extensive spectral analysis and chemical evidences. Compound 1 is branched with a methyl [-CH(CH(3))(2)] in the fatty acid moiety, which is a rare structural feature among ceramides. Compound 6 is a new cerebroside with 17 carbons in the fatty acid moiety, while 5 is a new natural product which was isolated from a natural origin for the first time.