Chemical Diversity and Biological Properties of Secondary Metabolites from Sea Hares of Aplysia Genus

Abstract

The marine environment is an important source of structurally-diverse and biologically-active secondary metabolites. During the last two decades, thousands of compounds were discovered in marine organisms, several of them having inspired the development of new classes of therapeutic agents. Marine mollusks constitute a successful phyla in the discovery of new marine natural products (MNPs). Over a 50-year period from 1963, 116 genera of mollusks contributed innumerous compounds, Aplysia being the most studied genus by MNP chemists. This genus includes 36 valid species and should be distinguished from all mollusks as it yielded numerous new natural products. Aplysia sea hares are herbivorous mollusks, which have been proven to be a rich source of secondary metabolites, mostly of dietary origin. The majority of secondary metabolites isolated from sea hares of the genus Aplysia are halogenated terpenes; however, these animals are also a source of compounds from other chemical classes, such as macrolides, sterols and alkaloids, often exhibiting cytotoxic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and/or antifeedant activities. This review focuses on the diverse structural classes of secondary metabolites found in Aplysia spp., including several compounds with pronounced biological properties.

Detection of a chemical cue from the host seaweed Laurencia dendroidea by the associated mollusc Aplysia brasiliana

“…A huge number of molecules have been discovered from Aplysia species [ 15 ] and these sea hares possess secondary metabolites obtained either from their algal diets or by de novo direct synthesis [ 16 ], with the former being slightly modified. This feeding relationship makes Aplysia species promoters of chemical diversity, since most of the metabolites found in these molluscs are structurally similar, but distinct from those produced by Laurencia species [ 17 ].…”

Reduction of Asthmatic Parameters by Sea Hare Hydrolysates in a Mouse Model of Allergic Asthma

“…kurodai) , is a type of shell-less and slow-moving marine mollusk, which is commonly found in rocky seashores and is well-known in Asia as an edible marine organism [ 1 , 2 ]. Sea hare has a large number of bioactive molecules, and secretes the molecules as a defense mechanism to compensate for the absence of a shell as physical protection [ 3 ]. The bioactive molecules have shown a variety of functions, such as antitumor, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibacterial, and immunostimulatory activities [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Bioactive fractions from cantabrian anchovy (Engraulis encrarischolus) viscera

“…Marine animals and plants, inhabiting a wide range of ecosystems some of them still unexplored, synthetize a number of compounds that have been found to have biological activities that are of great interest for industries such as food processing and biomedicine, among other (Suleria et al, 2016;Pereira et al, 2016;Zhang et al, 2016). Much of the research in this area has been focused on marine lipidic compounds found in seafood such as unsaturated fatty acids ω-3 and ω-6, to which prevention of chronico-degenerative illnesses have been attributed (Burgos-Hernández et al, 2001;Farzaneh-Far et al, 2010;Shahidi & Miraliakbari, 2004;Ewaschuk et al, 2012;Chen et al, 2015;Darghosian et al, 2015;Leslie et al, 2015;Eide et al, 2016).…”