Identification of Bioactive Metabolites from the Tropical Sponges

Abstract

Oceans cover more than 70% of our planet’s surface and the sea is the origin of life on Earth. It is estimated that the biological diversity in certain marine ecosystems (coral reefs or the deep sea floor) is higher than in tropical rain forests. Many marine organisms have evolved the ability to synthesize unique toxic compounds or to obtain them from marine microorganisms as chemical means of defense for their survival in the overwhelming biological diversity of the sea. Therefore, a study on the biochemical secrets of marine organisms can provide new insights and understanding of human diseases and their treatments. However, compared with the study of terrestrial natural products, marine natural products have so far only been explored to a very limited extent.In our research program, aiming at the study on the development of marine biological resources in the tropical Oceans, we collected the marine sponges Xestospongia sp. and Agelas sp. in Chuuk, FSM. Investigation of the bioactive secondary metabolites of these marine sponges revealed a novel alkaloids compound along with several known compounds. In terms of biological activity, SRB (sulforhodamine B) cytotoxicity assay reveals that Adociaquinone B from Xestospongia sp. has a strong activity against PC-3 (prostate cancer).