Ansellone J, a Potent and HIV-1 Latency Reversal Agent Isolated from a sp. Marine Sponge.

Five new minor sesterterpenoids, ansellones H (), I (), J (), and K () and phorone C (), have been isolated from a sp. marine sponge collected in British Columbia. Their structures have been elucidated by detailed analysis of NMR and MS data. Ansellone J () and phorone C () are potent HIV-1 latency reversal agents that are more potent than the reference compound and control protein kinase C activator prostratin (). The most potent sesterterpenoid, ansellone J (), was evaluated for HIV latency reversal in a primary cell context using CD4+ T cells obtained directly from four combination antiretroviral therapy-suppressed donors with HIV. To a first approximation, ansellone J () induced HIV latency reversal at levels similar to prostratin () , but at a 10-fold lower concentration.