Planta Med 2006; 72 - S_024
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-949757

Antifouling and Anti-Aggregatory Effects of Bastadins from the Marine Sponge Ianthella basta

S Ortlepp 1, RA Edrada-Ebel 1, R Ebel 1, T Hohlfeld 2, L Bohlin 3, P Proksch 1
  • 1Pharmaceutical Biology and Biotechnology, Heinrich-Heine University, Universitätstrasse 1, Geb. 26.23, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 2Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Heinrich-Heine University, Universitätstrasse 1, Geb. 22.21, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 3Pharmacognosy, Medicinal Chemistry, Box 574, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden

Marine sponges are sessile, soft bodied invertebrates that rely mainly on the accumulation of toxic and/or deterrent natural products as a chemical defence against predators (fishes) and other biotic stress factors such as fouling by epibionts. Overgrowth by fouling organisms can be detrimental to filter feeders like sponges as it will block pores that are needed for inhaling seawater followed by phagocytosis of suspended particles. As marine sponges are usually free of overgrowth a suppression of epibionts by sponge derived natural products is usually assumed.

In this study we employed a settling bioassay using barnacle cyprids (Balanus improvisus Darwin) in order to investigate sponge compounds for possible anti-fouling activity. The compounds studied are complex brominated tyrosine derived substances named bastadins. The substances were isolated from the marine sponge Ianthella basta collected in Indonesia and included a new bastadin congener along with the known compounds bastadin 3, 4, 9 and 16. All bastadins showed pronounced inhibition of cyprid settlement and are suggested be involved in the chemical defence of the sponge against fouling organisms.

Additionally, the bastadins were also tested for human platelet aggregation inhibition and gave likewise positive results.

Preliminary results suggest that the presence of the oxime group accounts for the antifouling and anti-aggreagtory effects of the bastadin derivatives.

Acknowledgements: Dr. Mia Dahlström, Dr. Martin Sjögren, Dr. Victor Wray.