Alternative Extraction Method of Guanidine Metabolites from Marine Sponge, Ptilocaulis spiculifer

Marine sponges are known for their use of biologically active allelopathic compounds. With almost every species of sponge having been shown to produce some chemical with medicinal properties, their survival is becoming increasingly important. Current extraction methods used by research teams require a large sample relative to the size of the sponge, which threatens the survival of the organism. 1 Ptilocaulis sp., or the orange tree sponge, is known to produce guanidine metabolites. This derivative has demonstrated biological activity against cell lines of leukemia, uterine, and cervical cancer.2 3 In this study we have developed a method for the chemical extraction of active metabolites from the ambient water containing a sponge. Preliminary data suggests the metabolite was found both using the traditional methods and using the water extraction. The organic extracts were used to test against L1210 leukemia cells for biological activity