Neopetrosia compacta – Species Splash

As it turns out, sponges can do much more than flip burgers. Shalice Susana and Dr. Lilibeth Salvador-Reyes found that the yellow sponge Neopetrosia compacta is a source for new anti-inflammatory drug leads.

For her master’s thesis under Dr. Lilibeth Salvador-Reyes, Shalice Susana evaluated 231 marine sponge extracts to find leads for marine drug development. She found anti-inflammatory compounds from Neopetrosia compacta: the major compound xestoquinone and its monosubstituted analogs. The compounds from Neopetrosia compacta were as effective as known anti-inflammatory compounds dexamethasone and tBHQ. The anti-inflammatory activity of the compounds is in part facilitated by their interaction with the anti-oxidant master regulator Nrf2-antioxidant response element (Nrf2-ARE) pathway. With further development, drug leads from Neopetrosia compacta can provide prevention and safer treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases and chemoprevention.

Link to full paper.
Link to Neopetrosia compacta in the World Register of Marine Species.

Photo courtesy of the Chemical Ecology Group of the DDHP-Marine Component Project 2, funded by DOST PCHRD