title: Investigation of bioactivity of extracts from Moroccan solitary tunicate Cynthia savignyi.
abstract: Extracts of the tunicate Cynthia savignyi from the Moroccan Atlantic sea have been investigated in five bioassays. The first is an antibacterial test against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Agrobacterium tumefaciens; the second is an antifungal test against three tomato pathogenic fungi, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum and Verticillium albo-atrum; the third is a test based to the ability to reduce DNA peak size in procedures using an HPLC system for detection of antitumour agents; the fourth is a toxicity test using larva of Artemia salina; and the last is an enzymatic inhibitory test against papain and trypsin. For all the bioassays, extracts of C. savignyi were found to be bioactive. This result suggests that this tunicate is able to produce biologically active agents required for an overall defence against their predators.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Organique Biomoléculaire Associé au C.N.R, Faculté des Sciences, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abourriche
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Charrouf
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bennamara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berrada
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chaib
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boudouma
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Francisco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001156:Artemia; D002417:Cattle; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007814:Larva; D009018:Morocco; D010206:Papain / Q000187:drug effects; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000187:drug effects; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D014357:Trypsin / Q000187:drug effects; D014561:Urochordata / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D014020:Tissue Extracts; D004247:DNA; D014357:Trypsin; D010206:Papain