Purpose: To promote understanding of the coral life cycle and destructive forces in order to modify destructive human behavior. Background: Coral ecosystems are important sources of food and coastal protection. Corals, just like other creatures, may be destroyed by environmental and biological stressors. Coral lifecycle and current destructive forces are complex subjects often depicted using scientific terminology that is difficult to understand by the lay public. Better understanding of these concepts through dynamic illustrations and interactive teaching could potentially prevent destructive behavior and help protect these threatened ecosystems. Methods: We provide a novel teaching tool to visually illustrate damage and modify behavior in multiple age groups. 1. We utilized simplified illustrations targeting children (K-1), middle school (6-8 grade) and high school students. Student comprehension is evaluated through teach-back technique. Using this feedback, illustrations are then modified to augment and clarify areas of confusion. 2. A hands-on interactive program was designed using thermochromic painted coral skeletons. Children at an after school program participate in an interactive, hands-on experience utilizing color-changing paint in addition to the age appropriate illustrations. Thermochromic paint changes color (red to white) when exposed to elevated temperatures. Coral skeletons are painted and then submerged in warm water. The color change dramatically illustrates the effect of warmer water on coral bleaching reinforcing teaching points. 3. Simplified illustrations, and thermochromic painted coral skeletons are then used in an education module presenting information to individuals in a high volume tourist resort area. Summary: Coral reef destruction is an ongoing concern. Many resources are being applied to study mechanisms of damage. However, education of the general public regarding mechanisms of damage, for example avoiding coral-toxic sunscreen use, is also important for real-time prevention of modifiable destructive human behaviors. Development and application of appropriate teaching tools for all age groups will help with coral preservation. The recent advances in autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) design, propulsion, software, and sensors have resulted in a proliferation of vehicles, including optionally manned conversions, for a multitude of missions. These technologies have created new opportunities to develop heterogeneous and collaborative unmanned systems based around smaller, lower-cost, unmanned surface, underwater and aerial vessels. We propose that diesel-electric powered ASVs with modular architectures can incorporate numerous interchangeable sensor payloads and allows one ASV unit to function as a multi-instrument platform to support other offshore operations. With over 30 days at 7 knots endurance capability and over the horizon communications, this technology represents a step change in offshore operations is a cost effective surrogate to the use of Regional Class Research/Survey vessels to deliver the equivalent capability.
Symbiotic microorganisms in corals have proven to be a rich source of structurally novel and biologically active secondary metabolites that have become interesting and significant resources for drug discovery. In recent years, during our ongoing study on bioactive natural products from the South China Sea, diverse bioactive secondary metabolites with variety structures have been isolated from coral-derived fungi, such as alkaloids, macrolides, anthraquinones, and peptides. For instance, a pair of new enantiomeric alkaloid dimers, (+)- and (−)-Pestaloxazine A, with unprecedented symmetric spiro-[oxazinanepiperazinedione] skeleton, consisting of 22 carbons and 12 heteroatoms, were isolated from a Pestalotiopsis sp. fungus derived from the soft coral Sarcophyton sp.. A series of prenylated indole alkaloids were isolated from Aspergillus sp. fungus derived from the gorgonian coral Dichotella gemmacea. Quinazoline alkaloids with heptacyclic skeleton formed via a bridging hemiaminal linkage was isolated from Scopulariopsis sp. fungus derived from gorgonian Carijoa sp. Prenylated dihydroquinolone derivatives were obtained from the fungus Aspergillus sp. cultured from gorgonian Muricella abnormalis. And a series of 14-membered resorcylic acid lactones (RALs) belonging to a family of benzannulated macrolides were obtained from a gorgonian-derived fungal strain Cochliobolus lunatus. The compounds exhibited diverse promising bioactivities, including antifouling activity against barnacle B amphitrite, antibacterial activity towards pathogenic bacteria, cytotoxicity against human tumour cell lines, and antiviral activity against human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and enterovirus 71 (EV 71). It could be concluded that the bioactive secondary metabolites produced by coral-derived symbiotic microorganisms should be a rich source for discovery of marine lead compounds. The marine environment has been proven to be a rich source of new bioactive natural products for drug discovery. Coral reefs are among the most productive ecosystems and are a source of a large group of structurally unique biosynthetic products. To date, more than 40,000 marine natural products (MNPs) have been identified from various marine organisms, such as sponges, cnidarians, tunicates, molluscs, echinoderms, bryozoans, red algae, brown algae, green algae, and microorganisms (Carroll et al. 2019; Deshmukh et al. 2017; Jimenez 2018; Leal et al. 2016; Newman and Cragg 2016b). The upward trend in the discovery of new MNPs sourced from marine microorganisms continues unabated and now represents 57% of the total new MNPs reported in 2017 (Carroll et al. 2019). Based upon the putative biogenetic origins, these MNPs can be classified as polyketides, terpenoids, alkaloids, steroids, lactones, peptides, phenols, and lipids. Also, a large proportion of MNPs display interesting pharmaceutical activities, such as cytotoxic, antimicrobial, hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, analgesic, and antiasthmatic activities (According to the following websites: http://marinepharmacology.midwestern.edu; Jimenez 2018). Hence, MNPs are considered as an excellent and potentially valuable source for new chemical entities with novel structures and distinct mechanisms of action. To date, there have been 13 approved therapeutic agents that could be considered derivatives of MNPs (Altmann 2017; Jimenez 2018; Newman 2019; Pereira et al. 2019). Moreover, more than 30 MNP derivatives constitute the global marine pharmaceutical clinical pipeline in Phases III, II or I of drug development (According to the following websites: http://marinepharmacology.midwestern.edu; http://pharma.id.informa.com (accessed on August 6, 2019); Jimenez 2018; Newman 2019; Pereira et al. 2019). The significant potential for new drug development based on MNPs in all disease areas has been previously discussed (Newman and Cragg 2016a). Marine invertebrates have proven to be a primary source of bioactive MNPs, as many serve as chemical defense tools against predators, competitors and other ecological pressures. It has been demonstrated that the true origin of most MNPs appears to be the microorganisms living in concert with invertebrates. Most invertebrates are sessile, soft-bodied and move slowly, and are thus subject to potential parasite predation and detrimental microbial colonization. Therefore, they require a complex arsenal of Medicinal Chemistry and Rational Drugs July 25-26, 2018 | Vancouver, Canada ISSN: 0974-7508 secondary metabolites produced by their symbiotic microorganisms to facilitate a form of chemical defense (Jimenez 2018; Wang et al. 2008). This is likely the reason why MNPs from marine invertebrates and their symbiotic microorganisms are a rich sources of diverse and bioactive secondary metabolites (Martins et al. 2014; Mayer et al. 2010; Newman and Cragg 2016b). The chemical ecology underlying invertebrate–microorganism interactions provides a great opportunity for natural product chemists to mine for novel drug discovery. Therefore, the invertebrates and the abundant microorganisms in their ecosystems have attracted widespread attention for producing novel structural metabolites with potential bioactive applications (Blunt et al. 2018). In the recent decade, the China Sea, especially the South China Sea, has become a hot spot in searching for novel bioactive MNPs. The invertebrates including sponges, soft corals, gorgonians and tunicates are prolific in the coral reefs in the South China Sea, and the microorganisms associated with these invertebrates have been demonstrated as a distinctive source for new bioactive MNPs. In recent years, we have initiated a research program to find biological active MNPs based on marine chemical ecology (Figs. 1, 2) (Hou et al. 2015, 2019a; Wang et al. 2008). A total of 709 MNPs including 307 new compounds have been obtained from marine invertebrates and their symbiotic microorganisms collected from the South China Sea. In this review, we summarize the representative 287 MNPs (Table 1) obtained by our group, highlighting multiple structural types of compounds and demonstrating discovery, diversity, compound mining, and bioactive application. The goal is to provide further inspiration for the discovery of bioactive MNPs and subsequent drugs development.
Curcumin and tannic acid which are naturally occurring dietary polyphenols, have exerted and found to be chemo-preventative against cancer in various animal models. This study was carried out on 220 (12-14 weeks old, 25-30 g each) female mice. Mice were classified into two main large experiments. Experiment 1: Non-tumor bearing mice (NTB) included 100 animals and divided into four groups, each one comprised 25 mice. Group 1: NTB- control saline treated. Group 2: NTB-treated with curcumin orally (350 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks. Group 3: NTB-treated with tannic acid orally (160 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks. Group 4: NTB-treated with curcumin and tannic acid orally at ratio (50%:50%) for 6 weeks. Experiment 2: Tumor bearing (TB) mice. The total 120 animals were divided into four groups, each one comprised of 30 mice. Group 1: TBM-control saline treated. Group 2: TBM-treated with curcumin orally (350 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks. Group 3: TBM-treated with tannic acid orally (160 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks. Group 4: TBM-treated with curcumin and tannic acid orally at ratio (50%:50%) for 6 weeks. Blood samples were collected from all animal groups after 2, 4 and 6 weeks from treatment. Serum were separated and processed directly for glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, total protein determination. The obtained results revealed that, a highly significant decrease in serum glucose, total cholesterol, total protein concentration, meanwhile, a highly significant increase in serum triacylglycerol concentration was also observed. But a nonsignificant decrease in serum insulin levels were observed in tumor bearing mice when compared with control. The results of this study indicated that curcumin, tannic acid and their combination treatment have potential benefits in cancer treatment. This study evaluated the ameliorative potential of grape seed extract (GSE) against Ehrlich solid tumor (EST)–induced hepatic tissue alterations in mice. The control group was infused with physiological saline. The second group received GSE (50 mg/kg day by day orally) for 2 weeks. The third group was subcutaneously injected with 2.5 million of EST cells. The fourth group was injected with EST cells and treated with GSE extract simultaneously. The fifth group was injected with EST cells and kept for 2 weeks until the appearance of a solid tumor, then treated with GSE for 2 weeks. The phytochemical analysis of GSE revealed the presence of total phenols (17.442 mg GAE/g) and total flavonoid (6.687 mg CE/g) with antioxidant activity of 81.506 mg TE/g DPPH. The Ehrlich solid tumor significantly raised the activities of ALT, AST, and ALP; the level of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in serum; and the protein expressions of hepatic proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and tumor suppressor protein (P53), as well as induced DNA damage and pathological alterations in liver tissue. However, it significantly reduced serum albumin and total protein levels. In contrast, the co- or post-treatment of EST-bearing mice with GSE reduced the activities of ALT, AST, and ALP; the level AFP in serum; and hepatic P53 and PCNA protein expressions. In addition, it reduced EST-induced hepatic DNA damage and pathological alterations, while it increased serum albumin and total protein levels. This study suggested that GSE is a potent hepatoprotective agent and both co- and post-treatment of EST-bearing mice with GSE almost had the same effects. Graphical abstract
The vast array of oceanic sources of bioactive molecules provides a new frontier in exploration and discovery. In blending a variety of ocean sciences, an innovative development of disciplines such as, proteomics, metabolomics, metagenomics as well as the study of a variety of oceanic derivatives of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism are yielding promising marine natural products. These are yielding remarkable potential in human, veterinary medicine, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals measurably contributing to enhancing the quality of life and perhaps even leading to considerable extension of longevity of the human life span while at the same time, reducing morbidity and disability resulting from chronic degenerative diseases and illnesses burdening terrestrial life forms. Phenomenal adaptive mechanisms by a wide variety of oceanic organisms including their marine toxins, of considerable greater potency arising from the significant biodiversity of oceanic life forms in comparison to land-based sources of natural products; provide enormous potential for exploration of bioactive molecules for biopharmaceutical development. Ocean-derived agrichemicals have already shown proven potential in optimizing and measurably augmenting crop yields for farmers. Oceanic sponges may lead to further procurement of bioactive molecules which shall deliver new and effective chemotherapeutic agents, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatories in treating a multitude of various forms of cancer as well as antiangiogenic effect in preventing metastatic spread of existing forms of cancer and thereby contributing to improved prognosis and extending survival for existing cancer patients. Marine natural products such as Triterpene glycosides derived from Sea Cucumbers are proving to be effective precursor bioactive molecules for a multitude of biomedical benefits including antimicrobial and especially potent anti-viral potential. It is therefore evident that marine natural products, delivering Oceanic Bioactive Molecules are a logical, current and future source of a vast array of promising new products for biomedical application. This is leading to an exciting new pioneering Era of scientific innovation in the new and fascinating biomedical disciplines of Infectious disease, Regenerative Medicine, Pandemic & Bioterrorism contingency planning, as well as stem-cell therapies, Many new Bio-markers in early disease detection and prevention, bio-engineering and 3-D printing among several new and exciting other technologies. This shall lead to enhanced repair as well as regeneration of new body parts, entirely new organs, human tissue damaged by disease, trauma, environmental exposure or even natural aging, associated with cost-prohibitive chronic degenerative illnesses. This Symposium at the Third International Conference of Oceanography shall delve into several of such fascinating subjects and thereby share information critical in the time-sensitive emergence of these burgeoning new subspecialties of oceanic and marine biomedical sciences
Rhododendron formosanum, an endemic plant in subtropical region of Taiwan, possesses diversity of natural products such as phenolic acids, flavonoids and terpenoids in leaves and other plant parts. Underneath the vegetation, there is almost lacking understory species which turns out to be an allelopathic phenomenon. We have already demonstrated the unique pattern of allelopathy which was due to the allelopathic substances released from the plant leaves. The responsible allelopathic substances are water soluble phenolic acids, namely, p-hydroxybenzoic, methyl-ferulate, syringic acid, vanillic acid, coumarin, and protocatechuic acid. On the other hand, cinnamtannin D1, a trimer of catechin, from the plant induces autophagy via the inhibition of Akt/mTOR activation of ERK1/2 non-small cell lung carcinoma cells. Rice defined allelopathy as the effect of one plant on growth of another plant through release of chemical compounds into the environment. In 1996, the International Allelopathy Society recommended the following, more wide definition of allelopathy: “any process involving the secondary metabolites produced by plants, microorganisms, viruses, and fungi that influence the growth and development of agricultural and biological system (excluding animals), including positive and negative effects”. However, negative effects are observed more often than positive ones. Allelopathy plays a significant role in forest ecosystems for the following reasons: (1) trees release allelochemicals for long periods, and they may accumulate in soil to toxic levels, (2) one or only a few species dominate in the forest plantations, (3) allelochemicals affect the understory, and for some species they can affect the undergrowth, and in some cases can even cause problems in natural regeneration, and (4) introduced highly productive exotic trees may increase accumulation of allelochemicals in soil due to the inability of the local microflora to degrade them. Allelochemicals are the products of secondary metabolism and have no nutritional value. According to the different structures and properties, allelochemicals can be classified into the 10 categories: (1) water-soluble organic acids, straight-chain alcohols, aliphatic aldehydes, and ketones; (2) simple unsaturated lactones; (3) long-chain fatty acids and polyacetylenes; (4) quinines (benzoquinone, anthraquinone, and complex quinines); (5) phenolics; (6) cinnamic acid and its derivatives; (7) coumarins; (8) flavonoids; (9) tannins; and (10) steroids and terpenoids (sesquiterpene lactones, diterpenes, and triterpenoids). Plant secondary metabolites include about 200,000 compounds, among which the most diverse are terpenoids (30,000), alkaloids (21,000), and phenolic compounds (8000). In allelochemical trees, the most common are the terpenoids and phenolics. Reigosa described five ways by which allelochemicals can be released into the environment from trees: stem flow, root exudation, leachates from aerial parts during rain, dew, and fog, volatiles from leaves or other plant parts, and litter decomposition. It is interesting to note that the greatest Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in his poem Anchar (1828) described all abovementioned ways of extracting poison from the Antiaris toxicaria tree except for litter decomposition. Studies have shown that various nutrients deficiency, as well as water stress, UV radiation, physical damage by herbivores or interspecific competition can enhance the production of allelochemicals and the sensitivity to allelochemicals. For effective action, allelochemicals must reach a certain concentration. Their release is influenced by such environmental factors as temperature, duration and intensity of rainfall, type of soil and soil humidity. Degradation by soil microorganisms also plays an important role in the accumulation of allelochemicals. Most allelochemicals are rapidly biodegraded in the soil, especially phenolics. The term ‘‘phytotoxicity’’ was introduced to distinguish allelopathy (as interactions occurring in natural environment) from studies of plant extracts or allelochemicals (purified or synthetized) under controlled conditions. The most common method for assessing phytotoxicity is the Petri dish bioassay of extracts (leachates) on seed germination and seedling growth. Such studies are usually carried out on model plants, for example, Lactuca sativa, because of their rapid germination and genetic homogeneity. It allows comparing the results among different studies. Evaluation of plants in the soil, in the greenhouse, is rare and even less often in field conditions. Evaluation in natural conditions is especially important for the reason that allelochemicals mainly act through the soil. For a short period of time, a contact exposure through leachates during rain or dew may be possible. In some species, it may be Natural Product: An Indian Journal 5th International Conference on Biodiversity March 10-12, 2016 | Madrid, Spain ISSN: 0974-7508 conducted directly through volatile compounds. It was proved that some volatiles (e.g., terpenoids in the eucalypt species) can be dissolved and absorbed by soil. This is especially important for woody plants which grow and accumulate allelochemicals in soil for a long period of time. Various biological, chemical, and environmental factors can influence the allelochemical effectiveness for a particular species, such as: (1) specific plant toxins affect only particular species; (2) time or plant density required to reach toxic concentrations; (3) seasonal variation in toxicity; (4) synergistic effects of several allelochemicals; and (5) adsorption, leaching, and degradation in soils. Coder and Warnell described more than a hundred tree species with allelopathic activity. The strongest allelopathic effects were found in representatives of the genera Acacia, Ailanthus, Eucalyptus, Juglans, Leucaena and some conifer species. Most examples of allelopathy in trees are associated with exotic species that are rapidly becoming dominant in new ecosystems, such as Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle), which is considered as one of the worst invasive plant species in Europe and also listed as an invasive plant in North America and many other countries. At the global level, the invasion of alien organisms is considered the second largest threat to biodiversity after habitat destruction. Nowadays, allelopathy is considered to be the most important factor influencing invasion and spread of exotic plants. The ‘‘novel weapons hypothesis’’ suggests that an introduced species may have strong allelopathic effects on neighbouring plant species in a novel environment, because native vegetation has not evolved resistance to unique allelochemicals produced by the invader. Rabotnov hypothesized earlier that allelopathy is more significant between plants that have not co-evolved together for a long time. This hypothesis is especially important in forestry, because allelopathy could be one of the important factors influencing the successful introduction of tree species in new regions. Some trees that belong to the widespread plantation species are also invasive, such as eucalypts. As a result, due to the large areas occupied by these trees and because of their dominance, the significance of allelopathy of woody plants can reach the level of ecosystems
