A novel extracellular diterpenoid with antibacterial activity from the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune.

A novel extracellular metabolite with an unprecedented diterpenoid skeleton, 8-[(5-carboxy-2-hydroxy)benzyl]-2-hydroxy-1,1,4a,7, 8-pentamethyl-1,2,3,4,4a,6,7,8,8a,9,10,10a-dodecahydrophenanthrene , has been isolated from the culture medium of the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune Vaucher (EAWAG 122b) by means of bioguided isolation. The molecule was designated as noscomin. The structure was determined by spectroscopic methods, mainly NMR and mass spectrometry. Noscomin exhibited antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Escherichia coli.