Kiamycin (1), a new angucyclinone derivative possessing an 1,12-epoxybenz[a]anthracene ring system, was isolated from the marine Streptomyces sp. strain M268 along with the known compounds 8-O-methyltetrangomycin (3) and 8-O-methylrabelomycin (4). Their structures were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature data. The new angucyclinone derivative showed inhibitory activities against the human cell lines HL-60 (leukemia), A549 (lung adenocarcinoma), and BEL-7402 (hepatoma) with inhibition rates of 68.2%, 55.9%, and 31.7%, respectively, at 100 µM. It appears to have potential as an anticancer agent with selective activity.

A new anthracene derivative, 3-hydroxy-1-keto-3-methyl-8-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-benz[α]anthracene, was isolated from the marine strain Streptomyces sp. W007, and its structure was established by spectroscopic analysis including mass spectra, 1D- and 2D-NMR (¹H–¹H COSY, HMBC, HSQC and NOESY) experiments. 3-hydroxy-1-keto-3-methyl-8-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-benz[α]anthracene showed cytotoxicity against human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549.