The marine natural product puupehenone (1), isolated in good yields from sp
onges of the genus Hyrtios, has been shown to undergo stereospecific 1,6-co
njugate addition to its quinone-methide system. Several nucleophilic agents
such as hydrogen cyanide, Grignard reagents, and nitroalkanes were studied
, producing structurally diverse compounds. This lead optimization study wa
s initiated due to the bioactivity of puupehenone and its natural analogues
, which includes numerous previous reports of potential anticancer and anti
infective activity.