Bioactive Alkaloids from the Sea: A Review

Abstract

In our ongoing search for bioactive substances from marine organisms, novel alkaloids have been isolated. Pinnatoxins and pinnamine, potent shellfish poisons, were purified from the Okinawan bivalve Pinna muricata. Pinnatoxins activate Ca 2+ channels. Halichlorine was isolated from the marine spongeHalichondria okadai. This compound inhibits the induction of VCAM-1. Drugs that block VCAM-1 may be useful for treating coronary artery diseases, angina, and noncardiovascular inflammatory diseases. Pinnaic acids, which are cPLA 2 inhibitors, were also obtained from P. muricata. Interestingly, the structures of pinnaic acids are closely related to that of halichlorine. Norzoanthamine hydrochloride, isolated from the colonial zoanthid Zoanthus sp., suppresses decreases in bone weight and strength in ovariectomized mice, and could be a good candidate for an osteoporotic drug. Ircinamine, purified from the marine sponge Ircinia sp., has a reactive thioester. Aburatubolactams, inhibitors of superoxide anion generation, were isolated from Streptomyces sp. This article covers the bioactive marine alkaloids that have been recently isolated by this research group.

Hemagglutinating/Hemolytic activities in extracts of marine invertebrates from the Brazilian coast and isolation of two lectins from the marine sponge Cliona varians and the sea cucumber Holothuria grisea

“…Many of these compounds, which have already been isolated and studied, belong to marine invertebrates, such as sponges, cnidarians, mollusks, arthropods, echinoderms and tunicates (Rasjasa et al 2011). Among these compounds are proteins (Pajic et al 2002, Yoshida et al 2007) and secondary metabolites (Kuramoto et al 2004, Sipkema et al 2005) with a wide range of biological activities.…”

Monitoring Bacterial Diversity of the Marine Sponge Ircinia strobilina upon Transfer into Aquaculture

“…Ircinamine, an alkaloid with moderate activity against the murine leukemia cell line P388, was purified from a marine Ircinia sp. (33). Tedanolide C, a cytotoxic macrolide, was isolated from the Papua New Guinea sponge Ircinia sp.…”

Benthic dinoflagellate toxins in two warm-temperate estuaries: Rangaunu and Parengarenga Harbours, Northland, New Zealand

“…The pinnatoxins are a group of macro-cyclic compounds, containing a cyclic imine moiety, that elicits a very rapid toxic response in mice after intraperitoneal injection and are potent Ca 2+ channel activators (Kuramoto et al, 2004). The first members (PnTx-A-D) of this toxin group were isolated and described (Zheng et al, 1990;Uemuar et al, 1995;Chou et al, 1996;Takada et al, 2001) from tropical horse mussels (Pinna attenuata, Pinna muricata) and have seemed to be rare.…”