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Updated: Jun 28, 2026
16:03
A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms
Published on: January 11, 2015
Scalarane sesterterpenes from the sponge Smenospongia sp
Jueun Song1, Wooyeol Jeong, Nan Wang
1Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, San 56-1, Sillim, Gwanak, Seoul 151-742, Korea.
Journal of Natural Products
|November 1, 2008
Summary
Researchers discovered ten new sesterterpenes from the Smenospongia sp. sponge. These compounds show promising cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, and enzyme inhibitory activities.
Area of Science:
- Marine Natural Products Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Marine sponges, particularly from the genus Smenospongia, are prolific sources of structurally diverse secondary metabolites.
- Scalarane sesterterpenes are a class of natural products known for their wide range of biological activities.
- Previous studies have identified various metabolites from Smenospongia species, highlighting their chemical richness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize new sesterterpene compounds from the Korean sponge Smenospongia sp.
- To investigate the structural diversity and unique functionalities of these novel metabolites.
- To evaluate the biological activities, including cytotoxicity, antimicrobial effects, and enzyme inhibition, of the isolated compounds.
Main Methods:
- Extraction and isolation of metabolites from the Smenospongia sp. sponge using various chromatographic techniques.
- Structure elucidation of new compounds based on comprehensive spectroscopic analyses (NMR, MS, etc.).
- Assays to determine cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines, antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi, and inhibitory effects on isocitrate lyase.
Main Results:
- Isolation of ten new scalarane sesterterpene compounds (4-13) and seven known metabolites (1-3, 14-17).
- The new compounds possess diverse functionalities built upon a common scalarane sesterterpene skeleton.
- Compounds 6 and 11 exhibit unprecedented aldehyde and carboxylic acid functionalities, respectively, at positions 23 and 20.
- Several new compounds demonstrated significant cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity.
- Moderate inhibitory activity against isocitrate lyase was observed for some of the new compounds.
Conclusions:
- The marine sponge Smenospongia sp. from Korean waters is a valuable source of novel scalarane sesterterpenes.
- The identified compounds, particularly those with unique functional groups, expand the known structural diversity of sponge-derived sesterterpenes.
- The significant biological activities suggest potential applications for these compounds in drug discovery and development, particularly as cytotoxic and antimicrobial agents.
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