Search for anti-malaria agents from marine organisms

2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22658065
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Fisheries chemistry
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: MATSUNAGA Shigeki 東京大学, 大学院・農学生命科学研究科, 教授 (60183951)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KUZUYAMA Tomohisa 東京大学, 生物生産工学センター, 准教授 (30280952) ; OTOGURO Kazuhiko 北里大学, 基礎研究所, センター長 (80118794)
• Project Period (FY): 2010 – 2011
• Keywords: 天然物化学 / 海洋生物 / テルペン生合成 / 抗菌活性 / 遺伝子操作 / 枯草菌

Research Abstract

We searched for compounds selectively toxic against malaria parasites from marine organisms. The bioassay was examined to see differential antimicrobial activity against bacteria dependent on mavalonate pathway and non-mevalonate pathway. We screened the 736 extracts of marine invertebrates collected along the coast of Japan. Active compounds from hit organisms were isolated and their structures were elucidated. We characterized several compounds from an unidentified marine sponge from Kagoshima and a soft coral from Tanegashima. The selectivities of the isolated compounds were not noteworthy.