The marine sponge Haliclona fulva (previously described as Reniera fulva) is widespread in the Mediterranean Sea. The chemical study of the sponge led to the isolation and identification of a new compound: 3-epi-cladocroic acid (1) alongside the previously reported cladocroic acid (2) and some other known compounds previously isolated. The structure was fully determined on the basis of extensiv...

The composition of four recent siliceous marine sponge spicules was studied and compared. In particular, multinuclear (29Si, 13C, 31P) solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) allowed the characterization of both the mineral and organic constituents in a non-destructive manner. The silica network condensation was similar for all samples. The organic matter showed a similar pattern but varie...

Chemical investigation of a southern Australian marine sponge, Clathria sp., yielded the known mirabilins C, F and G, together with three new analogues, mirabilins H-J. For the first time mirabilins C and F are documented as the underivatized natural products, and a complete absolute stereochemistry is assigned to mirabilin F. Mirabilin I represents the first member of this structure class to i...

Shrimp-sponge associations occur frequently in marine ecosystems, serving as model systems for the evolution of eusociality. Here, we describe the first known instance of such association in freshwater from an ancient lake in Indonesia. The shrimp Caridina spongicola forms an exclusive and probably commensal association with a yet undescribed spongillinid sponge. Phylogenetic and ecological dat...

The purpose of this research project is to identify and chemically profile active extracts of a marine sponge, Clathria sp., collected from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Previously, pteridine alkaloids, sterol sulfates, and bromine-containing amides collected from various species of Clathria have shown anti-microbial and anti-cancer activities [1]. Sponge extracts were isolated through a combi...

In recent years, a number of novel 3-alkyl pyridinium alkaloids were identified from the crude extract of the Arctic marine sponge Haliclona viscosa [1 – 5]. The material available from this sponge was limited by the small size of the individuals, their slow growth rate and the effort to sample substainably in the Arctic ecosystem. A new refinement of the spectroscopic methods led to improved r...

The exploration of marine environment represents a promising strategy in the search for new active antiviral compounds. The isolation and characterization of the nucleosides spongothymidine and spongouridine from the sponge Cryptotethia crypta used as models for the synthesis of ara-A (vidarabine), that has been used therapeutically against herpetic encephalitis, was the most important contribu...

Despite the large number of reports describing sponge-microbe associations, limited knowledge is available about associated fungi and their relationships with the hosts. In this work, specific fungal strains were obtained directly from in vitro sponge cell cultures (primmorphs) and single sponge cells (cytospins) and compared with those obtained from whole tissue preparations. A total of 27 fun...

Marine sponges are currently one of the richest sources of pharmacologically active compounds found in the marine environment. These bioactive molecules are often secondary metabolites, whose main function is to enable and/or modulate cellular communication and defense. They are usually produced by functional enzyme clusters in sponges and/or their associated symbiotic microorganisms. Natural p...

Cytotoxic activity screening of ethyl acetate fungal extracts derived from the marine sponge Neopetrosia chaliniformis AR-01Muh. Ade Artasasta, Yanwirasti, Akmal Djamaan, Dian Handayani