The guanidine metabolites of Ptilocaulis spiculifer and related compounds; isolation and synthesis

Marine natural products possessing guanidine functionalities display a considerable array of biological activity and not surprisingly have attracted considerable synthetic interest. This review discusses the isolation of several guanidine containing metabolites, primarily from the sponge Ptilocaulis spiculifer, but also from other marine organisms. It also explores the synthetic methodologies adopted for their preparation and speculates on the structural similarity of the metabolite ptilomycalin A to abiotic guanidine based anionic receptor molecules.