Bioactivity of Suberitenones A and B

Throughout human history, natural products have formed the foundation of medicine. In ancient times, a myriad of herbs and fungi have been attributed properties of healing and rejuvenation. Today, that foundation still very much exists, as natural product chemists isolate bioactive compounds from plants, fungi, animals, and microorganisms alike. As more of these secondary metabolites are discovered, scientists pursue more and more sources of biodiversity that may yield new and unprecedented compounds. To this end, Antarctica has become of particular note, as its unique environmental conditions and highly isolated nature make for rare and unusual adaptations in its native wildlife. Although the actual landmass of Antarctica is rather desolate, the surrounding water is teeming with life. Sponges, corals, algae, and a wide variety of other organisms call the Southern Ocean home, and they have provided scientists a whole host of new and novel compounds. In particular, this thesis is focused on investigating the sponge Suberites sp. and a pair of compounds previously isolated from it known as suberitenone A and suberitenone B, which exhibit the potential for bioactivity