抄録
In our continuing search for effective antifoulants from marine invertebrates which can be used as substitutes for effective but highly toxic agents such as organotin compounds, we found that the lipophilic fraction from the extract of a Palauan octocoral of Sinularia sp. inhibited settlement of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis. Bioassay-guided isolation afforded five polyhydroxylated sterols with or without a monoacetyl functional group such as 6β-acetoxy-24-methylenecholestane-3β, 5α-diol. The inhibitory activity of one of these compounds against the settlement of the blue mussel was found to be 34% of that of CuSO4, a standard antifouling agent. The activity of all five compounds was approximately 2 to 5 times stronger than that of cholesterol, β-cholestanol and β-sitosterol, suggesting the importance of the hydroxyl and/or acetoxyl groups for antifouling activity.
