Sterols from the red algae, Gracilaria salicornia and Hypnea flagelliformis, from Persian Gulf

Context: Two of the important algae from Persian Gulf are Gracilaria salicornia and Hypnea flageliformis (Rhodophyta). Antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic effects of the mentioned algae have been presented in the previous studies. Aim: In this study, the isolation and structural elucidation of the sterols from these algae are reported. Materials and Methods: The separation and purification of the compounds were carried out with silica gel, sephadex LH20 column chromatography (CC) and HPLC to obtain six pure compounds 1-6. The structural elucidation of the constituents was based on the data obtained from H-NMR, 13C-NMR, HMBC, HSQC, DEPT, and EI-MS. Results: The isolated compounds from G. salicornia were identified as 22-dehydrocholesterol (1), cholesterol (2), oleic acid (3), and stigmasterol (4), and the isolated constituents from H. flagelliformis were identified as 22-dehydrocholesterol (1), cholesterol (2), oleic acid (3), cholesterol oleate (5), and (22E)-cholesta-5,22-dien-3β-ol-7-one (6) based on the spectral data compared to those reported in the literature. Conclusion: Red algae are enriched with cholesterol polysaccharides. We first reported the presence of cholesteryl oleate and (22E)- cholesta-5,22-dien-3β-ol-7-one in H. flagelliformis.