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The genus Discodermia has been previously recognized as a source of several biological agents, calyculins A-D1 and discodermins AD. 2 In our search for biologicallyactive substances from marine organisms, an extract from the marine sponge D. dissoluta was discovered to inhibit in vitro proliferation of P388 murine leukemia cells, to inhibit growth of Candida albicans, 3 and to be active in the two-way mixed lymphocyte culture assay. 4 We recently described the novel polyhydroxylated lactone discoder-molide as the metabolite responsible for the immunosup-pressive activity of the crude extract. 5 We now report the isolation and the structure determination of the cytotoxic and antifungal active compound as discodermide (1).

The sponge, D. dissoluta, was collected by scuba at Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island, at a depth of 33 m. A methanol/toluene (3: 1) extract was concentrated and successively partitioned …