Studies on the Secondary Metabolites of the Soft Coral Sarcophyton sp

Four secondary metabolites were isolated from the soft coral Sarcophyton sp, collected from Sanya Bay, Hainan Province. Their chemical structures were identified by spectroscopic methods and chemical conversion as 1-isobutyl-4-(2′-ethyl-n-hexyl)-terephthalate(1), 24α-methylcholest-5-en _ 3β,7α-diol(2), 24-methylenecholesta-3β,5α,6β-triol(3), batyl α _ palmitate(4). 2 and 3 show potent growth inhibition for the P388 tumor cells in vitro, whereas 4 has some impact on leukocytosis.