New steroid glycosides from the starfish Asterias rathbuni.

Two novel steroidal 24-O-xylosides, designated as rathbuniosides R(1) (1) and R(2) (2), and the known amurensoside A (3) and 3-O-sulfomarthasterone (4) have been isolated from the starfish Asterias rathbuni. The structures of all the compounds were determined from their spectroscopic data, including one- and two-dimensional NMR methods. The compounds 1 and 4 inhibit the cell division of fertilized sea urchin eggs at doses of 7.

Hemolytic polar steroidal constituents of the starfish Aphelasterias japonica.

A reinvestigation of the polar steroid fraction from the starfish Aphelasterias japonica, collected near the Russian shore of the Sea of Japan, has afforded two new compounds, the disulfated quinovoside aphelasteroside C (1) and the monosulfated polyhydroxysteroid aphelaketotriol (2). Compounds 1 and 2 contain a unique 23-oxo-24-hydroxylated side chain that is unprecedented in marine steroids. The known compounds cheliferoside L1 (3), 3-O-sulfoasterone (4), forbeside E3 (5), and 3-O-sulfothornasterol A (6) were also isolated from this source.