2, 5, 6-Tribromo-l-methylgramine, an Antifouling Substance from the Marine Bryozoan Zoobotryon pellucidum

Abstract

In our screening for antifouling substances using laboratory-reared larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite, the crude extract of the marine bryozoan Zoobotryon pellucidum exhibited promising activity. Bioassay-guided isolation led to the isolation of 2, 5, 6-tribromo-1-methylgramine as an effective inhibitor. Its inhibitory activity was 6 times as strong as that of bis- (n-butyltin)oxide (TBTO), while its toxicity to cyprid larvae was one-tenth that of TBTO. This substance also inhibited settlement of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis.