Fatty acids as antifoulants in a marine sponge

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Abstract
The antifouling factor against the blue mussel Mytilus edulis found in the organic extract of the marine sponge Phyllospongia papyracea collected in Kagoshima was purified by solvent partition, silica gel column chromatography and HPLC on Toyopearl HW‐40 and on ODS. The active substance was analyzed by gas chromatography after methylesterification and identified as a mixture of several free fatty acids containing C16: 0 (59.9%), C16: l (11.8%) and C18: l (13.8%) as the major components. Among the various authentic free fatty acids tested, C10: 0, C14: l, C16: 0, C16.1, C18: 2, C20: 4 and fatty acids from porcine liver (FAPL) showed antifouling activity against M. edulis. The stronger activity of fatty acid mixtures compared with the same amount of each used singly suggested a synergistic effect of fatty acids on antifouling activity. FAPL inhibited larval settlement in the barnacle Balanus amphitrite without killing the larvae.