Fatty acids of sponges from the Sea of Okhotsk

The fatty acid (FA) composition of Demospongiae species from the Sea of Okhotsk was studied. Fifteen sponge species were investigated for the first time, and the previously studied species Desmacella rosea and Myxilla incrustans were reexamined for their FA composition. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed 150 different fatty acids, of which 15 have not been identified in sponge lipids previously. The relative content of saturated FAs varied from 7.6 in Melonachora kobjakovae to 29.6% in Amphilectus digitata, with an average of 14.6% of total FAs. The relative content of monoenic FAs ranged from 12.8 in T. dirhaphis to 27.0% in Polymastia sp., with an average of 20.6% of total FAs. Non-methylen-interrupted, primarily unsaturated Δ5,9-FAs contributed a significantly to the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids of sponges; this being a distinguishing feature of the FA composition of the investigated group of organisms.