Three new sulfur-containing alkaloids, polycarpaurines A (1), B (2), and C (3) were isolated from the tropical ascidian Polycarpa aurata collected in Indonesia, together with six known compounds (4-9). The structures of new compounds were assigned on the basis of their spectral data. Compounds 1, 3, 4, and 8 inhibited colony formation of Chinese hamster V79 cells with EC50 values of 6.8, 8.6, 3.8, and 10 PM, respectively. Compounds 2 and 7 showed modest activity against V79 cells (EC50 > 10 mu M). (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.