Dictyotaceae family

Brown algae of the family Dictyotaceae yielded diterpenes of the dolabellane, xenicane, crenulide as well as extended germacrane and hydroazulenoid types. Some of these compounds were identified as capable of demonstrating appreciable selectivity as antimalarial agents... 

As a result, a large number of secondary metabolites have been described from various species of algae. Just the two best-studied groups, the red algal genus Laurencia and the brown algal family Dictyotaceae, account for more than 500 compounds. Many of these compounds are known to be cytotoxic, ichthyotoxic, or antimicrobial. 

Diterpenes of the bicyclic D. group were first isolated from the herbivorous lumpfishDolobe/la califomica. Since then similar metabolites have been found in brown algae of the family Dictyotaceae on which D. califomica feed. Finally, D. were also detected in sea fans. For example, palominol [(15,3 ,7 ,ll/l)-dola-bella-3,7,12-trien-18-ol] CjoHjjO, Mr 288.47, mp. 52-53 °C, [d o -33° (CHCI,), was isolated from Eunicea laciniata. 

Aurones are a family of flavanoids usually found in terrestrial flowering plants such as the buttercup, dahlia, and snapdragon. Most aurones have antioxidant, antiparasitic, and cytotoxic activities. Two chlorinated aurones were isolated from the Dictyotaceae Spatoglossumvariabileha.rvested near Karachi in the Arabian Sea, but no biological properties have been reported (Atta-Ur-Rahman et al, 2001). 

Kelecom, A. and Teixeira, V.L. (1986) Diterpenes of marine brown algae of the family Dictyotaceae iheir possible role as defense compoimds and iheir use in chemotaxonomy. Sci. Total Environ., 58, 109-115. 

Tringah, C., Piattelh, M., Nicolosi, G., and Hostettmann, K. (1986a) Mohusciddal and antifungal activity of diterpenoids from brown algae of the family Dictyotaceae. Planta Med., 52, 404—406. 

Greene, A.E., Highly stereoselective total syntheses of (+)-pachydictyol A and (-)-dictyolene, novel marine diterpenes from brown seaweeds of the family dictyotaceae, /. Am. Chem. Soc., 102, 5337, 1980. 

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