Halichoblelides B and C, potent cytotoxic macrolides from a Streptomyces species separated from a marine fish

Halichoblelide B (1) and C (2), novel macrolides with potent cytotoxicity against tumor cells in culture, have been isolated from a strain of Streptomyces hygroscopicus originally derived from the marine fish Halichoeres bleekeri, and their absolute stereostructures have been elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses using 1D and 2D NMR techniques and chemical transformations. These compounds exhibited significant cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines.