stenoosin

Stenoosin is a hypothetical natural product used in teaching and in illustrative datasets within chemistry and pharmacology. In fictional monographs, it is described as a polyfunctional macrocyclic lactone bearing two appended aromatic rings. The core is imagined as a large macrolactone ring with multiple hydroxyl groups and two methoxyphenyl side chains, yielding a theoretical molecular formula around C38H52O12 and a molecular weight near 700 daltons. The compound is presented as having several hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors and exhibiting UV absorption characteristic of conjugated phenolic systems.

Occurrence and isolation of stenoosin are described only in pedagogical scenarios, where it is attributed to a marine sponge species such as Stenoa exemplaris. In real-world taxonomy and natural product databases, no such species is known, and the data serve purely as teaching examples.

Biological activity described in teaching materials commonly includes modest in vitro cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines, with hypothetical IC50 values in the low micromolar range. Proposed mechanisms vary and are intentionally illustrative, often invoking disruption of microtubule dynamics or perturbation of mitochondrial membranes. These activity notes are not derived from confirmed experiments.

Chemistry and synthesis discussions use stenoosin to demonstrate challenges in natural product chemistry, including low hypothetical abundance, macrocyclic instability, and complex stereochemistry. Teaching materials sometimes present imagined total syntheses to highlight macrocyclization strategies and regioselective functionalization.

Note: Stenoosin is a fictional construct for educational purposes and does not correspond to a verified natural product. It is used to explore concepts in isolation, structure elucidation, and SAR without implying real-world confirmation.