OCCURRENCE AND SEASONAL VARIATION OF 19-NORCHOLEST-4-EN-3-ONE AND 3β-MONOHYDROXY STEROLS IN THE CALIFORNIAN GORGONIAN, MURICEA CALIFORNICA

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0039-128X(83)90093-4

The first natural occurrence of 19-norcholestenone is reported, together with 17 sterols and one other Δ4-3-ketone in the extracts of the Californian gorgonian, Muricea californica (Aurivillius).Six additional demethyl sterols and five additional 4-monomethyl sterols which remain unidentified were also detected.Lipid extracts of M. californica from a winter and summer collection were split by various chromatographic methods into free sterol, steryl ester, and steryl conjugate fractions.Sterol compositions (determined by GC and GC-MS) of each fraction, subsequent to hydrolysis, are tabulated and discussed with respect to plausible origins of observed variations.The possible relationship of the Muricea 19-nor-steroidal ketone to other naturally occurring 19-nor-steroids is discussed.