A Chemical Investigation of Three Antarctic Tunicates of the Genus Synoicum

• Main Author: Kokkaliari, Sofia
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: Digital Commons @ University of South Florida 2020
• Subjects: ascidians; australindolones; Marine invertebrates; palmerolides; Synoicum spp; zebrafish; Chemistry; Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/9028; https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10225&context=etd

Marine invertebrates, mainly sponges, tunicates and corals, have in the past few decades attracted the interest of the scientific community in regard to their secondary metabolites and their potential as leads in drug discovery. The genus Synoicum is comprised of multiple organisms found in both deep and shallow waters, tropical and cold environments around the world. The majority of the members of this genus that have been investigated can be found in shallow tropical waters due to the ease of accessing and collecting them. Of the cold environments, Antarctica is a representative of the environments where members of the Synoicum family can be found. This dissertation is a continuation of our laboratory’s contribution in the exploration of the chemistry and drug discovery potential of the ascidians found in Antarctica. Three different Synoicum species (Synoicum adareanum, Synoicum sp. and Synoicum sp.) were investigated in regard to their secondary metabolites and tested for their activity against a variety of targets.