Cytotoxic polyhydroxy sterols from the Egyptian Red Sea soft coral Sarcophyton acutum

The methanolic extract and its sub-extracts (viz, n–hexane, DCM, EtOAc and MeOH) of the soft coral Sarcophyton acutum were evaluated as anti-Leishmania major and as anticancer (against the HepG2, MCF-7, and A549 cell lines) using the MTT assay. Six polyhydroxy sterols (1–6) were isolated from the most active cytotoxic and anti-leishmanial EtOAc-soluble fraction. Their structures were established as two new polyhydroxy sterols, acutumosterols A (1) and B (2), and four known structural analogues (3–6) by intensive spectroscopic analyses, and by comparison with data of related compounds. Compound 4 exerted noticeable cytotoxicity against HepG2 cell line (IC50 17.2 ± 1.5 μg/mL), while the other pure isolates showed weak to moderate cytotoxicity (24.8 ± 2.8–57.2 ± 5.2). The results were discussed in relation to the structural features of these closely related sterols. [Display omitted] •The anti-Leishmania major and cytotoxic activities (against HepG2, MCF-7, and A549 cell lines) of the Red Sea soft coral Sarcophyton acutum were evaluated.•Two new, acutumosterols A (1) and B (2), and four known (3–6) polyhydroxy sterols were isolated from the most active ethyl acetate fraction.•Cytotoxicity and anti-L. major activities of the pure isolates (1–6) were evaluated.