BIOLOGICAL-ACTIVITIES OF AQUEOUS EXTRACTS FROM MARINE SPONGES AND CYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF 3-ALKYLPYRIDINIUM POLYMERS FROM RENIERA-SARAI

We screened the biological activity of 21 marine sponges collected in the northern Adriatic sea. Hemolytic, hemagglutinating, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and anti-acetilcholinesterase activities of the extracts w ere monitored. We found that hemolytic activity was generally weak; on ly extracts from three sponge species possess considerable activity. H emagglutinating activity was present in almost half of extracts but wi th little specificity against human erythrocytes of different blood gr oups. Detectable antimicrobial activity was present in only two extrac ts, while most of them possessed cytotoxic activity. Strong anti-choli nesterase activity was present only in one sample. 3-alkypyridinium po lymers isolated from Reniera sarai were hemolytic and strongly cytotox ic against different cell lines with slightly expressed specificity ag ainst transformed cells. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.