Aerophobin from Aplysina aerophoba

The above described rationale of SAR can be exemplified by the bioactivities of the bromotyrosine derivatives, aeroplysinin-1 and dienone, as well as their complicated molecular substrates aerophobin-1 and isofistularin-3, isolated from the Mediterranean sponge, Aplysina aerophoba. Aeroplysinin-1 and dienone exhibit pronounced biological activity whereas aerophobin-1 and isofistularin-3 were always inactive when tested in equimolar concentrations [23]. Aeroplysinin-1 and dienone are antibiotically active against a broad spectrum of marine bacteria such as Vibrio, Micrococcus, and Alteromonas species [24] and are also cytotoxic to Ehrlich ascites tumour cells and HeLa tumour cells in the microculture tetrazolium (MTT) and clonogenic assays [25]. In these assays, it has been demonstrated that the free radical transformation of aeroplysinin-1 and dienone to its semiquinone structures are responsible for the cytotoxicity [25], Aeroplysinin-1 and dienone are the pharmacophores of aerophobin-1 and isofistularin-3. 

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