2. Academic Validation
  3. A Quarter Century of Marine Biodiscovery in Algoa Bay, South Africa

A Quarter Century of Marine Biodiscovery in Algoa Bay, South Africa

  • J Nat Prod. 2023 Mar 24;86(3):638-652. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.2c00987.
Michael T Davies-Coleman 1,  Kerry L McPhail 2,  Shirley Parker-Nance 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Chemistry, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, 7535, South Africa and Department of Chemistry, Rhodes University, Makhanda, 6140, South Africa.
  • 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregaon 97331, United States.
  • 3 South African Environmental Observation Network, Elwandle Coastal Node, Nelson Mandela University, Ocean Sciences Campus, Summerstrand, Gqeberha, 6001, South Africa.
PMID: 36853972 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.2c00987
Abstract

Algoa Bay, the largest crenulate bay on the southeastern coast of South Africa, is currently one of the most well-studied marine ecosystems in southern Africa. A plethora of endemic marine invertebrates inhabits the benthic reefs on the western edge of the Bay in close proximity to South Africa's sixth largest city. Over the past 25 years, South African Marine natural products chemists, together with international collaborators from the US National Cancer Institute and Other US institutions, have focused their attention on Algoa Bay's benthic marine invertebrates as a potential source of new Anticancer compounds. This review commemorates a quarter of a century of marine biodiscovery in Algoa Bay and presents the structures and bioactivities of 49 new and 36 known specialized metabolites isolated from two molluscs, eight ascidians, and six sponges. Thirty-nine of these compounds were cytotoxic to Cancer cells in vitro with 20 exhibiting moderate to potent cytotoxicity. Six Other compounds exhibited antimicrobial activity. Foremost among the potential Anticancer compounds is mandelalide A (38) from the Algoa Bay ascidian Lissoclinum species.

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