Anticancer, antichemotactic and antimicrobial activities of marine sponges collected off the coast of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil

Abstract This study reports the in vitro screening of 10 marine sponges (Porifera) collected from the coastline of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, in the search for novel pharmaceuticals. Organic and aqueous extracts were tested for anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal and antichemotactic activities. Eight of the ten species tested demonstrated activity in one or more of the bioassays. Organic extracts of Polymastia janeirensis Boury-Esnauls, 1973, Haliclona aff tubifera George and Wilson, 1919, Mycale arcuiris Lerner and Hajdu, 2002 and Raspailia ( syringella ) sp. each demonstrated cytotoxicity at 100 μg/ml in an in vitro screening assay against the HT29 colorectal tumour cell line. Further analysis against three human tumour cell lines (HT29, U373 and NCI-H460) demonstrated IC 50 concentrations ranging from 25 to 50 μg/ml. Aqueous extracts of six species P. janeirensis , M. arcuiris , Raspailia ( syringella ) sp., Guitarra sp., Tedania ignis Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1864 and Pseudaxinella reticulata Ridley and Dendy, 1886 each significantly ( p ≤0.05) retarded the migration of polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocytes in a chemotactic assay. In antibacterial assays, only H. aff tubifera (four of five bacterial strains) and Axinella corrugata George and Wilson, 1919 (one of five bacterial strains) demonstrated activity. None of the 10 species demonstrated measurable antifungal activity. These extracts are currently undergoing further analysis to identify the active constituents.