Abstract
We report on screening tests of 66 extracts obtained from 35 marine sponge species from the Caribbean Sea (Curaçao) and from eight species from the Great Barrier Reef (Lizard Island). Extracts were prepared in aqueous and organic solvents and were tested for hemolytic, hemagglutinating, antibacterial and anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities, as well as their ability to inhibit or activate cell protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). The most interesting activities were obtained from extracts of Ircinia felix, Pandaros acanthifolium, Topsentia ophiraphidites, Verongula rigida and Neofibularia nolitangere. Aqueous and organic extracts of I. felix and V. rigida showed strong antibacterial activity. Topsentia aqueous and some organic extracts were strongly hemolytic, as were all organic extracts from I. felix. The strongest hemolytic activity was observed in aqueous extracts from P. acanthifolium. Organic extracts of N. nolitangere and I. felix inhibited PP1. The aqueous extract from Myrmekioderma styx possessed the strongest hemagglutinating activity, whilst AChE inhibiting activity was found only in a few sponges and was generally weak, except in the methanolic extract of T. ophiraphidites.
Highlights
The strongest hemolytic activity was observed in aqueous extracts from P. acanthifolium
Despite the popular and somewhat overexploited statement that marine sponges are an important source of new bioactive compounds that may be used in various biomedical applications, so far only a few have found such an application [3]
A large number of sponge secondary metabolites show interesting biological activities, for example calyculins from Discodermia calyx) [4], discodermolide from D. dissoluta [5], latrunculins from Latrunculia magnifica [6,7,8,9], and spongistatins from Spongia sp. and Spirastrella sp. [10,11,12]
Summary
They are cytotoxic, inhibit cell proliferation and could be used as chemotherapeutics These compounds differ structurally and act on different cytoskeletal elements, but have similar antiprolific and antitumoral activities. Due to the sessile nature of sponges it is not surprising that many of their natural products show strong antifouling activities Several reviews on such compounds have been published recently [17,18]. Number of secondary metabolites from a variety of marine sponges were reported to possess antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial activities, among them many bromotyrosine derivates [2]. In the present study we report the screening results of several biological activities found in aqueous and organic extracts from 43 tropical marine sponge species that could possibly lead to the discovery of novel compounds of pharmacological interest
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