Marine invertebrates have been identified for a long time by chemists as likely sources of new biomedicinal substances. Pharmacologists, physiologists and biochemists have demonstrated that many of these novel marine products modify fundamental life processes in ways suggesting biomedical applications. These molecules can serve as leads to guide the pharmaceutical and chemical industries in developing new products.
This research aims specifically at Caribbean gorgonian octocorals of the genus Pseudopterogorgia as a likely resource for novel anti-inflammatory natural products. Only six of the fifteen species of Pseudopterogorgia gorgonian octocorals known to exist in the Caribbean region have been assessed chemically for their secondary metabolite composition. Many Pseudopterogorgia species have already been shown to produce metabolites possessing potent anti-inflammatory activity. Specifically, during the four years of this research we plan to carefully scrutinize -the chemistry of five previously unexplored species of Pseudopterogorgia gorgonians collected in Puerto Rico. Initial extraction with solvents of different polarities (e.g., hexane, methylene chloride, and methanol) will be monitored using cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activity assays. Each of the gorgonian extract residues will also be screened for chemical structural features by 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Further purification by chromatography (column, GC, LC) and determination of molecular structure will proceed if warranted by the screening results. Structure elucidation will rely heavily on spectral methods (e.g., 1H and 13C NMR, MS, IR, UV) and X- ray diffraction techniques.
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