Antiprotozoal activity against Plasmodium falciparum and Trypanosoma cruzi of aeroplysinin-1 isolated from the new sponge Aplysina chiriquensis

Abstract

Crude methanol extracts from the recently discovered sponge, Aplysina chiriquensis and Aplysina gerardogreeni , collected at the southwest Pacific Coast of Panama, showed moderate antiplasmodial activity. Fractionation of the crude extracts from A . chiriquensis led to the isolation of the known dibromotyrosine derivatives 1-5. Compound 3, aeroplysinin-1, displayed antiprotozoal activity against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum and Trypanosoma cruzi . Comparative analysis by HPLC of the five specimens collected showed the presence of the same metabolites but in different relative proportions. Compounds 1-5 are reported for the first time as constituents of A . chiriquensis and A . gerardogreeni . This is the first report of the antiprotozoal activity of aeroplysinin-1 (3). © 2005 Taylor & Francis Ltd.