Abstract
Bioprospection of marine invertebrates has been predominantly biased by the biological richness of tropical regions, thus neglecting macro-organisms from temperate ecosystems. Species that were not the object of studies on their biochemical composition include the Heterobranchia gastropods Armina maculata, Armina tigrina and Aglaja tricolorata, inhabitants of the Portuguese Atlantic coastal waters. Here, we present for the first time the fatty acid profile of neutral lipids and homarine content of these three species. Qualitative and quantitative differences in the fatty acid content among species points to the existence of a fatty acid profile of neutral lipids, particularly of each genus. The results from cytotoxicity assays, using the acetonic extracts of the gastropods on human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) and human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cell lines, revealed a pronounced cytotoxic effect of the A. tigrina extract on both cell lines (IC50 values of 68.75 and 69.77 μg mL−1 for AGS and A549, respectively). It is worth noting the significant reduction of NO levels in LPS-challenged RAW 264.7 macrophages exposed to A. tricolorata extract, at concentrations as low as 125 μg mL−1.
Highlights
The increasing number of reports on the structural variety and pharmacological properties of naturally occurring compounds obtained from marine invertebrates [1,2] has been driving the focus on several taxonomic groups, namely Heterobranchia mollusks [3,4].Molecules 2018, 23, 1027; doi:10.3390/molecules23051027 www.mdpi.com/journal/moleculesDriven by the richer biological diversity compared to temperate regions, marine organisms from tropical ecosystems have been preferentially targeted as sources of therapeutically useful chemical agents [5]
Prompted by the fatty acids composition andbybythe thechemo-defensive chemo-defensive metabolite metabolite homarine, Prompted by the fatty acids composition and homarine,we we aimed to investigate the potential cytotoxicity of the extracts towards the human cancer cell lines aimed to investigate the potential cytotoxicity of the extracts towards the human cancer cell lines
This paper constitutes the first report on the chemical characterization of Heterobranchia sea slugs from the genera Armina and Aglaja
Summary
The increasing number of reports on the structural variety and pharmacological properties of naturally occurring compounds obtained from marine invertebrates [1,2] has been driving the focus on several taxonomic groups, namely Heterobranchia mollusks [3,4].Molecules 2018, 23, 1027; doi:10.3390/molecules23051027 www.mdpi.com/journal/moleculesDriven by the richer biological diversity compared to temperate regions, marine organisms from tropical ecosystems have been preferentially targeted as sources of therapeutically useful chemical agents [5]. Bioprospection of temperate environments has been rewarding, leading to the discovery of a significant number of compounds from marine invertebrates [6]. Several species of nudibranchs, such as Armina spp., are widely distributed in the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, namely Armina maculata Rafinesque, 1814 and Armina tigrina. The cephalaspidean Aglaja tricolorata Renier, 1807 shares a similar geographical distribution, being recorded along the Atlantic coast [8]. Despite their ubiquitous distribution, inhabiting sub-tropical and temperate shores [9], the above-mentioned species are considered scarce and/or seldom found, the chemical investigation of both genera being virtually absent [10]. There is a single study on the isolation of briarane and cembrane diterpenoids from A. maculata, and their subsequent identification in its prey Veretillum cynomorium [11]
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