Sustainable Ocean Resources Network

Abstract

Marine sponge Clathria sp. holds a significant position in marine natural product research due to its wide range of secondary metabolites. Extensive distribution of genus Clathria in the world causes variances in chemical profile in relation to their environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate toxicity and profile secondary metabolites of sponge Clathria sp. collected from coastal waters off Mannar, Sri Lanka. Methanolic crude extract of the sponge was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening and GC-MS analysis. Alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids and saponins were resulted in phytochemical screening. Seven steroidal derivatives; Cholesta-3,5-diene, stigmastan-3,5-diene, cholesta-7,14-diene,(5.alpha.), ergosta-4,6,22-triene, cholesta-2,4-diene and cholest-2-ene were identified through GC-MS analysis. Brine shrimp lethality assay was carried out to test the toxicity of the extract. LC50 value estimated at 624 ppm. The results of this study suggesting ethanolic extract of marine sponge Clathria sp. contain steroidal derivatives and certain toxicity, which will be important in future studies to understand antifouling property of Clathria sp.