Sea Crustaceans Research Articles

Cytotoxicity and antitumor activity of sesquiterpene lactones. Structure, activity

The article discusses the results of 19 samples screening of sesquiterpene γ-lactones argolide, grosheimin, estafiatin, and their derivatives for cytotoxicity and antitumor activity. The research results indicate significant cytotoxicity and selectivity of the action of sesquiterpene γ-lactones and their derivatives against most tumor cell lines. Aim. The purpose of this study is to study the cytotoxicity and antitumor activity of the sesquiterpene γ-lactones argolide, grosheimin, estafiatin and their chemically modified derivatives, as practically renewable materials. Methods. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was determined using vero cells, THP-1, Pliss lymphosarcoma cell lines, Walker carcinosarcoma, sarcoma 45, sarcoma-180, alveolar liver cancer PC-1, P-388 leukemia, L-1210 leukemia, and resistant to 5-fluorouracil sarcoma 45. The antitumor activity of the samples was studied in in vivo experiments on white outbred rats with transplanted tumor strains and was assessed by inhibition of tumor growth and the magnitude of the increase in average life expectancy. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using the program “GraphPad Prism v. 6.0" (GraphPad Software Inc., USA). Conclusion. When determining cytotoxicity in in vitro samples of the sesquiterpene γ-lactones argolide, grosheimin, and estafiatin showed selectivity of their action on cells of 8 tumor lines, on cells of human acute monocytic leukemia THP-1 and in relation to the larvae of sea crustaceans Artemia salina (Leach). Samples of argolide, 8-acetylgrosheimin, 13-morpholinogrosheimin, 3-keto-4-methylene-cis-guaianolide, 3α-acetoxyisozaluzanin C, and 10α(14)-epoxy-1,5,7α,4,6β(H)-guai-11(13)-en-4(3),6(12)-diolide in experiments in vivo possessed high antitumor activity against transplantable tumor strains of Pliss lymphosarcoma, Walker carcinosarcoma, sarcoma 45, sarcoma 37, sarcoma 180, alveolar liver cancer PC-1, leukemia P-388 and L-1210, resistant to 5-fluorouracil sarcoma 45

Advanced technologies for chitin recovery from crustacean waste

<abstract> <p>Chitin is the second most plentiful natural biomass after cellulose, with a yearly production of about 1 × 10<sup>10</sup>–1 × 10<sup>12</sup> tonnes. It can be obtained mainly from sea crustaceans' shells, containing 15–40% chitin. Full or partial deacetylation of chitin generates chitosan. Chitin and chitosan are used in several industrial sectors, as they exhibit high biocompatibility, biodegradability and several biological functions (e.g., antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumoral activities). These biopolymers' market trends are destined to grow in the coming years, confirming their relevance. As a result, low-cost and industrial-scale production is the main challenge. Scientific literature reports two major technologies for chitin and chitosan recovery from crustacean waste: chemical and biological methods. The chemical treatment can be performed using conventional solvents, typically strong acid and alkaline solutions, or alternative green solvents, such as deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs). Biological methods use enzymatic or fermentation processes. For each route, this paper reviews the advantages and drawbacks in terms of environmental and economic sustainability. The conventional chemical method is still the most used but results in high environmental impacts. Green chemical methods by DESs and NADESs use low-toxic and biodegradable solvents but require high temperatures and long reaction times. Biological methods are eco-friendly but have limitations in the upscaling process, and are affected by high costs and long reaction times. This review focuses on the methodologies available to isolate chitin from crustaceans, providing a comprehensive overview. At the same time, it examines the chemical, biological and functional properties of chitin and its derivative, along with their most common applications. Consequently, this work represents a valuable knowledge tool for selecting and developing the most suitable and effective technologies to produce chitin and its derivatives.</p> </abstract>

Chitosan as an emerging object for biological and biomedical applications

Abstract Natural polymers are being investigated with renewed exuberance as they have a tremendous unexploited potential. During the past few decades, much interest has developed in the biopolymer-based materials due to their biodegradable, nontoxic, biocompatible and non-allergic nature. Chitosan (CS) is the second most abundant naturally occurring amino polysaccharide after cellulose and is extracted from the shells of sea crustaceans. The primary amine group in CS is responsible for its various properties and it is derived from the deacetylated form of chitin. Its biocompatible, nontoxic, biodegradable and antimicrobial properties have led to significant research towards biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, wound healing, drug delivery, obesity treatment, etc. This review summarizes the present work done by researchers in prospects of CS and its numerous applications in the biomedical field.

First Record of Arrow Gaper, Champsodon sagittus Nemeth, 1994 (Family: Champsodontidae) from Bay of Bengal, Eastern Indian Ocean

Champsodon sagittus, a species belonging to group popularly known as gapers has earlier known to occur in a narrow region of Indo-pacific along the coast of Australia, Philippines and Indonesia. The current report is the first record of the species from the Bay of Bengal, suggesting its possible wider distribution of the species in Indo-pacific Ocean. C. sagittus can be separated from other congeneric species by the combination of two gill rakers of upper limb, naked belly, five pair of sensory papillae on snout and no expansion of haemal spine The study also gives an insight into its depth of occurrence and habitat sharing with deep sea crustaceans.

A new slipper lobster of the genus Petrarctus Holthuis, 2002 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Scyllaridae) from Southwest coast of India.

A new species of slipper lobster of the genus Petrarctus Holthuis, 2002 was discovered from southwestern India during a survey of deep sea crustaceans. The new species closely resembles P. veliger Holthuis, 2002 from the Andaman Sea and western Pacific but differs mainly in the color marking on abdominal somite I, having a relatively lower cardiac tooth but with better developed tubercles on the abdomen, as well as a differently shaped anterior part of the thoracic sternum. Molecular genetic analysis also confirms the distinct taxonomic status of the new species. To fix the identity of the type species of the genus, a neotype of P. rugosus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) was selected from a recently collected Indian specimen with color and genetic information.

White spot syndrome virus infection: Threat to crustacean biodiversity in Vembanad Lake, India

The Vembanad Lake located on the south-west coast of India, an ecological hotspot is the nursing ground of many economically important crustaceans. The prevalence of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) among crustaceans from farmed, estuarine and marine environments surrounding the Vembanad Lake, India was detected using PCR. A total of 308 samples from aquaculture ponds consisting of six species of crustaceans collected from five different farms were tested for the presence of WSSV. Of these, 67% were found to carry the virus. A total of 258 samples of crustaceans from the Cochin backwater system that forms a part of the Vembanad lake viz., Metapenaeus dobsoni, Metapenaeus monoceros, Penaeus monodon and Penaeus indicus were found to contain WSSV in 62% of the samples. Fifteen species of crustaceans caught from the seas off Cochin were also screened for the presence of WSSV. Out of these, twelve species had WSSV incidence levels ranging from 6–23%. WSSV was not detected from three species of deep sea crustaceans tested. The black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon had the highest incidence of WSSV among the species screened in farmed, estuarine and marine environments.

Isolation of Chitin from a Variety of Raw Materials, Modification of the Material, and Interaction its Derivatives with Metal Ions

At the Institute of Polymer Chemistry and Physics we have investigated the isolation of chitin from a variety of raw materials—of Aral Sea crustaceans, the basidial fungus Pleurotus ostreatus, and waste from production of natural silk from the chrysalis of the silkworm Bombyx mori. The silk worm chrysalis, waste material from silk production, is a very valuable and readily available source of chitin, although new technology must be developed to enable use of the waste. Other raw materials suitable for isolation of chitin are also being investigated. Other subjects of interest are modification of chitin, preparation of chitosan from it, and interaction of these materials with transition metals ions, because water-soluble polymer–metal complexes of known metal-ion content have medical and agricultural applications. Formation of complexes between chitosan and transition metal ions (Co, Ni, Cu, Mn) has been investigated. Differences between the spectra of chitosan and its metal complexes are all in the region of the stretching and deformation vibrations of the amide bonds (amide-I, amide-II, and amide-III). This is because the synthesis of chitosan–metal complexes was conducted in acid media, in which the chitosan amino group is protonated, so the preferred interaction takes place with the amide bond of chitosan. Noticeable changes of amide-I and amide-II intensities are observed, depending on the metal ion content; this changes can be used for estimation of the metal content in the samples. It has been shown that in the samples synthesized the metal ions are distributed fairly uniformly along the polymer chains. The composition and structures of the complexes formed, the conditions needed to include the different functional groups of the polymer in the coordination process, and the dynamics of macromolecular tangling behavior in the process of metal-ion binding were determined. This enables prediction of the behavior of chitosan–metal-ion systems under conditions of use.

Seasonal variation of membrane fluidity of the naturally acclimatized Baltic Sea amphipods Gammarus spp. and Monoporeia affinis

The membrane fluidity of the Baltic Sea crustaceans Gammarus spp. and Monoporeia affinis was studied in different seasons. Gammarus spp. were collected at a location with stable salinity and with temperature fluctuations from about 0 to 20 °C, and M. affinis at a deep location with stable salinity and a constant low temperature of about 1.5 to 4.5 °C. The membrane fluidity was measured from preparations enriched with plasma and mitochondrial membranes employing a fluorescence polarization technique using 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as a probe. The measurements were carried out without any preceding acclimation of the animals. In Gammarus spp., the membrane fluidity increased in the order: summer animals < autumn animals < spring animals. The differences between seasons were significant, with pronounced homeoviscous adaptation, and correlated well with the water temperature. It is suggested that in Gammarus spp., temperature is the determining factor for membrane fluidity. In M. affinis, the membranes of summer animals were the most fluid, and there was a significant difference only between summer and spring animals. In M. affinis the difference was not connected to the water temperature and no homeoviscous adaptation was noticed. The deep-water M. affinis experience a long period of fresh food deficiency, which probably affects the membrane fluidity. Although there are seasonal differences in fluidities between Gammarus spp. and M. affinis, it is interesting to note that all data obtained from M. affinis settled between the polarization lines of spring and summer Gammarus spp., regardless of the prevailing temperatures.

The Suez Canal in Relation to the Marine Faunas of the Mediterranean and Red Seas

THE marine faunas of the Mediterranean and Red Seas differed so widely from one another before the opening of the Suez Canal that in many groups, if a species was found in one sea, it was almost certain that it did not occur in the other. Since then there have been a few Red Sea crustaceans found all over the Mediterranean, and a swimming crab is being commercially fished along the North Egyptian coast, where also the Red Sea pearl oyster is common. The intermingling of the two faunas being clearly an object of great interest, the Royal Society provided the requisite funds for the Cambridge Expedition, the first reports of which are now before us. The leader of the expedition was Mr. (now Prof.) H. Munro Fox, who for several summer vacations had worked at the Suez end of the canal, and with him were associated Mr. Robert Gurney, Mr. V. C. Robinson, and Mr. D. N. Twist. Help was also given by the directors of the Orient Line, and the expedition received an unstinted, generous, and most practical welcome from the Suez Canal Company and the Egyptian Government.