Abstract:
Chemical compounds categorised as natural products are diverse, with many classes such as terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, peptides, and polyketides. Marine natural products encompass a wide array of chemical compounds found in marine organisms, including marine microorganisms, marine phytoplankton, marine algae (green, brown, and red), marine sponges, marine cnidarians, marine bryozoans, marine molluscs, marine tunicates, marine echinoderms, marine mangroves, as well as intertidal plants and intertidal microorganisms.
Sponges are marine organisms that belong to the animal phylum Porifera and they comprise of four (4) main classes, even though historically only three classes of sponges were recognised, that is Calcarea (calcareous sponges); Hexactinellida (glass sponge) and Demospongiae (the demosponges, the most diverse class, including 90% of all species of sponges). The fourth class, Homoscleromorpha (the rarest and simplest class), previously grouped with the Demospongiae, is now recognised as a distinct class with approximately 117 species. Sponges comprise about 8 500 to 9 000 described living species, with approximately 150 of these sponge species found in freshwater bodies, and the vast majority being marine, inhabiting oceans, seas, or brackish water. The body of the marine sponge contains a network of pores, canals, and passageways defining them as multicellular immobile animals.
In this study, the marine sponge Fibulia ramosa was investigated for its bioactive compounds, and the results are reported in this dissertation. The research tools employed in this study are MTT assays, GC-MS analysis, GC-HRTOF analysis, phytochemical screening, FT-IR, anti-cancer activity and NMR. The results have shown that Fibulia ramosa extract exhibited moderate anti-cancer activity, with selectivity indices of 4.77 (HepG2) and 5.41 (Caco-2) against normal Vero cells, indicating its potential as a moderately selective chemotherapeutic agent. While it does not meet the threshold for highly potent agents, its properties suggest that it could be used effectively in combination therapies to reduce harm to normal cells. This balance between efficacy and safety makes the extracts from Fibulia Ramosa a promising candidate for further research in targeted cancer treatments.
