Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from two Marine Sponge Species of the Genus Aaptos.

• Grant number: 25/00275-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Roberto Gomes de Souza Berlinck
• Grantee: Barbara Aliende Almeida
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/17721-9 - The role of Chemistry in holobiont adaptation, AP.TEM

Abstract

Marine sponges are one of the richest sources of bioactive secondary metabolites. This project aims to investigate the chemical and biological properties of two marine sponges of the genus Aaptos, known as sources of 1H-benzo[d,e][1,6]-naphthyridine alkaloids. Fractions of these sponges, coded BA07ES-60 and BA07ES-100, showed antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activity against different tumor cell lines. The objectives of this project include: a) Isolating bioactive secondary metabolites from extracts of sponges of the genus Aaptos BA07ES-60 and BA07ES-100; b) Determining the structures of the isolated compounds; c) Evaluating the antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activities of the isolated and identified metabolites.