Bioactive terpenes from Spongia officinalis.

Area of Science:

• Marine Natural Products Chemistry
• Chemical Ecology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Spongia officinalis is a Mediterranean marine sponge known to produce diverse terpene metabolites.
• Understanding the chemical ecology of marine organisms like sponges is crucial for discovering novel bioactive compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To chemically investigate the terpene metabolite profile of Mediterranean Spongia officinalis.
• To isolate and characterize new and known sesterterpenes and furanoterpenes from the sponge.
• To evaluate the isolated compounds for antibacterial, antifungal, and biofilm-inducing properties.

Main Methods:

• Chemical investigation involving isolation and structure elucidation of metabolites from Spongia officinalis.
• Spectroscopic techniques (e.g., NMR, MS) were employed for structural characterization.
• Bioassays were conducted to assess antibacterial, antifungal, and biofilm formation activities.

Main Results:

• Isolation of four new oxidized minor metabolites and ten known compounds, including furospongins and scalarane sesterterpenes.
• Tetrahydrofurospongin-2 and dihydrofurospongin-2 were identified as main metabolites.
• Tetrahydrofurospongin-2 and dihydrofurospongin-2 significantly induced biofilm formation in Escherichia coli.

Conclusions:

• The study expands the knowledge of terpene diversity in Spongia officinalis.
• Specific furospongin derivatives exhibit the ability to promote bacterial biofilm formation, highlighting a potential role in sponge-microbe interactions.
• Further research is warranted to explore the ecological significance and potential applications of these metabolites.