中国南海软体动物及其食源生物的化学、化学生态学和生物活性研究

Study of chemistry, chemecology, and bioactivity of the South China Sea molluscs and their dietary organisms

海洋软体动物色彩艳丽、行动缓慢,主要依赖次生代谢产物形成的化学防御机制对抗天敌的捕食。多数软体动物可以通过选择适当的食物并将其中有用的代谢物质经过进一步的生物转化或积累到身体的特定部位而用作化学防御物质,以保护自己不受天敌的捕食;少数软体动物能够生物合成自身所需要的化学物质,从而建立起化学防御体系。研究软体动物及其食源生物的化学组成可以揭示它们之间的食物链关系,并进一步阐明这些化学物质的生态学作用。同时,这种进化的化学防御体系也能为我们提供一种从自然界寻找生物活性物质的新方法。近年来,我们研究小组对中国南海软体动物及其相关食源生物海绵、珊瑚和海藻等常见海洋生物物种之间的食物链关系进行了系统研究,获得了这些海洋生物的化学及生物学等方面的知识,并对这些化学物质的药理活性进行了系统考察,为更加系统、深入地开展中国海洋天然产物研究、开发具有自主知识产权的海洋新药打下了坚实的基础。

Marine molluscs are costive animals with bright color. They mainly protect themselves from predators by chemical defensive mechanism formed by secondary metabolites. Most of the animals are capable to protect themselves by selecting appropriate diet, and consequently transforming and bio-accumulating some useful dietary metabolites into selected body parts as defensive substances. A few of animals are capable to biosynthesize the necessary substances to establish their chemical defensive systems. Chemical studies on constituents of molluscs and their prey can reveal the dietary relationship between them, and further suggest the ecology role of the metabolites. Meanwhile, the evolved chemical defensive system provides us a new approach in searching for the potential bioactive molecules from natural sources. In recent years, the authors and co-workers systematically investigate the possible diet relationship between the South China Sea molluscs and related prey organisms, including sponges, corals, and algae. A series of interesting results have been obtained concerning the chemistry and biology of the marine organisms. The substances of the organisms are also evaluated for their drug-aiming bioactivity. These research works may hold as a basis for further systematic investigation in China marine natural products, and development of marine new drugs with intellectual property rights.