Search

Anemonia sulcata may be a source of marine natural products (MNPs) due to the antioxidant and antitumor activity of its crude homogenates shown in vitro in colon cancer cells. A bioguided chromatographic fractionation assay of crude Anemonia sulcata homogenates with and without its symbiont Symbiodinium was performed to characterize their bioactive composition and further determine their biological potential for the management of colorectal cancer (CRC). The 20% fractions retained the in vitro antioxidant activity previously reported for homogenates. As such, activation of antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes was also evaluated. The 40% fractions showed the greatest antiproliferative activity in T84 cells, synergistic effects with 5-fluoruracil and oxaliplatin, overexpression of apoptosis-related proteins, cytotoxicity on tumorspheres, and antiangiogenic activity. The predominantly polar lipids and toxins tentatively identified in the 20% and 40% fractions could be related to their biological activity in colon cancer cells although further characterizations of the active fractions are necessary to isolate and purify the bioactive compounds.

Recently, invertebrate marine species have been investigated for the presence of natural products with antitumor activity. We analyzed the invertebrate Anemonia sulcata with (W) and without (W/O) the presence of its microalgal symbiont Symbiodinium as a source of bioactive compounds that may be applied in the therapy and/or prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC). Animals were mechanically homogenized and subjected to ethanolic extraction. The proximate composition and fatty acid profile were determined. In addition, an in vitro digestion was performed to study the potentially dialyzable fraction. The antioxidant and antitumor activity of the samples and the digestion products were analyzed in CRC cells in vitro. Our results show a high concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acid in the anemone and a great antioxidant capacity, which demonstrated the ability to prevent cell death and a high antitumor activity of the crude homogenates against CRC cells and multicellular tumor spheroids, especially W/O symbiont. These preliminary results support that Anemonia sulcata could be a source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and antitumor potential against CRC and that the absence of its symbiont may enhance these properties. Further studies will be necessary to define the bioactive compounds of Anemonia sulcata and their mechanisms of action.

Contamination from metals as a result of anthropic action in coastal marine areas is increasing and it is therefore of great importance to have an appropriate follow-up program in these areas. Samples were taken in the intertidal in 6 sites, of which 5 were in the island of Tenerife and one in the island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain); in all sites, 15 anemone samples were collected. Twenty metals were analyzed by ICP-OES. The results show the highest concentrations of contamination in the area of Los Silos and Puerto del Carmen for the anthropogenic metals Cr, B, Ni, Cu, Pb, Cd, Fe, Li, and V; Los Silos shows Pb 25.264 ± 27.185 mg/kg and Cd 0.058 ± 0.050 mg/kg, which are high compared with the other sites and indicate that the area may be exposed to a high degree of contamination. Compared with other studies, Los Silos has the same or greater concentrations of anthropogenic metals than areas of greater pollution, such as the Mediterranean Sea or the Indian Ocean. For these reasons, Anemonia sulcata can be used as a bioindicator of anthropogenic contamination and it has become a useful organism for environmental pollution monitoring studies.

Marine-derived fungi are an important source of many valuable compounds with original structures and diverse physico-chemical properties. In this work, the metabolomic profile of a strain of Penicillium brevicompactum , recovered from a snakelocks sea anemone ( Anemonia sulcata ), was investigated through the parallel application of LC-ESI-HRMS, GC-MS, and NMR. Our strategy allowed the identification of mycophenolic acid, brevianamide A, and several compounds belonging to the thiosilvatins. Among the latter, five products are reported for the first time in this species. The main product of this series, cis -bis(methylthio)silvatin, was also tested for antiproliferative activity on both cancer and non-tumoral colon cell lines., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The evolution of multicellular organisms was marked by adaptations to protect against pathogens. The mechanisms for discriminating the ''self'' from ''non-self" have evolved into a long history of cellular and molecular strategies, from damage repair to the co-evolution of host-pathogen interactions. We investigated the inflammatory response in Anemonia sulcata (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) following injection of substances that varied in type and dimension, and observed clear, strong and specific reactions, especially after injection of Escherichia coli and Vibrio alginolyticus. Moreover, we analyzed enzymatic activity of protease, phosphatase and esterase, showing how the injection of different bacterial strains alters the expression of these enzymes and suggesting a correlation between the appearance of the inflammatory reaction and the modification of enzymatic activities. Our study shows for the first time, a specific reaction and enzymatic responses following injection of bacteria in a cnidarian., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)