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Marine sponges are important sessile, benthic filter feeders with a body plan designed to pump water efficiently. The sponge body plan generally consists of mineral spicules, gelatinous mesohyl, and the pores and canals of the aquiferous system. These structural components have stark differences in compressibility, mass, and volume; therefore, their proportion and distribution are likely to affect sponge morphology, anatomy, contraction, and finally the pumping capacity. We examined seven demosponge species (from high spicule skeleton contents to no spicules) commonly found along the central west coast of India for structural components, such as total inorganic contents (spicule skeleton and foreign inclusions), body density, porosity, and mesohyl TEM for the high microbial abundance/low microbial abundance status. Additionally, we estimated the sponge pumping rate by measuring the excurrent velocity, the abundance of individual pumping units and cells, i.e., choanocyte chambers and choanocytes, and also carried out a morphometric analysis of aquiferous structures. The excurrent velocity and the oscular flow rates showed a positive relationship with the oscular crosssectional area for all the study species. The inorganic spicule contents by their weight as well as volume formed a major component of tissue density and higher proportions of spicules were associated with reduced aquiferous structures and lower pumping rate. The ash mass% and the ash free dry weight (AFDW %) in the sponge dry mass showed separate and distinct associations with aquiferous system variables. For example, the number of choanocytes per chamber showed a wide difference between the studied species ranging from 35.02 ± 2.44 (C. cf. cavernosa) to 120.35 ± 8.98 (I. fusca) and had a significant positive relationship with AFDW% and a negative relationship with ash mass%. This study indicates that the differences in the proportions of structural components are closely related to sponge gross morphology, anatomy, and probably body contractions, factors that influence the sponge pumping capacity.

Cancer recurrence and severe side effects of currently being used chemotherapeutic agents reduce their clinical efficacy. Thus, there is a constant need to develop alternative anticancer drugs. Sustainable supply is an important challenge facing marine-based drug discovery. Primmorph, a 3D cell culture system, could provide a sustainable source to produce metabolites for anticancer drugs from marine sponges. In the present work, the anticancer activity of primmorph extracts and mesohyls of Negombata magnifica , Hemimycle arabica, Crella spinulata , and Stylissa carteri sponges was evaluated. Antiproliferative activity was studied in terms of cytotoxicity, colony formation, cell cycle, and apoptosis. Migration was assessed by migration assay and matrix metalloproteinase activity. The expression of proliferation and migration-related genes was analyzed using real time PCR. Migration and proliferation activities of HepG2 cells were inhibited by treatment with primmorph extracts and mesohyls of N. magnifica , H. arabica , and C. spinulata. The mesohyl of S. carteri did not show any anticancer activity although the primmorph extract led to cell cycle arrest. Among the selected sponge species, the primmorph extract of C. spinulata was the most promising anticancer agent regarding antiproliferative and antimigratory activities. In addition, primmorph extracts have the advantage of working under well-defined and controlled conditions, which allows the easy application as a bioreactor. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was constructed to explore the antitumor activity of Hemimycale arabica (blue sponge) and Negombata magnifica (red sponge) mesohyls in rat model of HCC. Forty adult female albino rats were distributed into: (1) negative control group, (2) HCC group, (3) Doxorubcin (DOXO)-treated group, (4) mesohyl of H. arabica-treated group, and (5) mesohyl of N. magnifica-treated group. Serum AST, ALT, GGT, α-fucosidase (AFU) activities; bilirubin, AFP and CEA levels was evaluated. Histopathological investigation of liver tissue sections was performed. The findings of this study indicated the presence of significant enhancement in serum AST, ALT, GGT, AFU, bilirubin, AFP, and CEA values in HCC-afflicted rats vs. the control counterparts. Insignificant change in serum AST, ALT, and GGT activity as well as bilirubin levels has been detected upon treatment of HCC-afflicted rats with DOXO. DOXO treatment revealed significant depletion in AFU, CEA, and AFP serum values comparing with HCC-afflicted ones. Treatment of HCC-afflicted rats with mesohyl blue (Hemimycale arabica) or red (Negombata magnifica) sponges evoked significant blunting in the measured biochemical parameters with respect to the untreated HCC-afflicted ones. The favorable impact of the natural treatments was documented by the great recovery of the structural organization of the liver of the treated rats. The current study provides an experimental evidence for the antitumor potential of Hemimycale arabica and Negombata magnifyica mesohyls in HCC rat model which may be ascribed to the strong hepatoprotective activity, the powerful free radical scavenging ability, and the highly apoptotic property of their active constitutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine sponges have been considered as a gold mine, with respect to the diversity of their secondary metabolites. Many sponge extracts and isolated compounds are potential anticancer agents. In the present study, the antiproliferative activity of Negombata magnifica was investigated as petroleum ether extract (PE), total methanolic extract (ME) and two sub-fractions II and III, isolated pure compounds (palmitic acid and pregnanediol), sponge mesohyl and primmorphs ethyl acetate extract. Palmitic acid was used as a positive control. Cell viability was assessed via MTT assay, and apoptosis was investigated in terms of DNA fragmentation and BCl2 gene expression. Cell cycle analysis was performed via flow cytometry. GLC analysis of PE revealed that it contains 84.46 % hydrocarbons and 15.54 % sterols, whereas the fatty acids contain 38.62 % saturated and 61.38 % unsaturated fatty acids. Results revealed that except for pregnanediol and fraction II, all treatments exhibited cytotoxic activity. Primmorphs ethyl acetate extract and fraction III arrested cells in G0-G1, while fraction II arrested cell cycle in G2/M. PE extract arrested cells in G0-G1 and G2/M. Mesohyl, PE and fraction III could be apoptotic agents as indicated by DNA fragmentation independent on BCL2 expression, while ME and pregnanediol could exhibited pro-apoptotic effect through decreasing BCL2 expression although no DNA ladder was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]