5-Lipoxygenase-derived oxylipins from the red alga Rhodymenia pertusa

The lipid extract of the temperate red alga Rhodymenia pertusa has yielded four eicosanoid metabolites, three of which are new natural products. Using principally NMR and MS techniques, their structures were deduced as 5R,6S-dihydroxy-7(E),9(E),11(Z),14(Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid (5R,6S-diHETE), 5R*,6S*-dihydroxy-7(E),9(E),11(Z),14(Z),17(Z)-eicosapentaenoic acid (5R*,6S*-diHEPE), 5-hydroxy-6(E),8(Z),11(Z),14(Z)-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE), 5-hydroxy-6(E),8(Z),11(Z),14(Z),17(Z)-eicosapentaenoic acid (5-HEPE). The co-occurrence of these metabolites strongly suggests that R. pertusa contains a unique 5R-lipoxygenase system acting on both arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids.