Abstract
Sea anemones are known as a rich source of protein and peptide toxins. In particular, peptide neurotoxins acting on the sodium and potassium channels have been well documented, and some of them are useful tools for pharmacological research of such ion channels. In contrast, however, only little is known about the non-peptidic, small molecules in the sea anemones. We have been searching for new toxins in the venoms of the Brazilian sea anemones, Bunodosoma cangicum and Bunodosoma caissarum, which has led to the isolation of new peptide neurotoxins and hemolysins. Besides the protein and peptide fractions, we also investigated the small molecule fractions, and as a consequence, found a new acylamino acid, called bunodosine 391 (BDS 391, 1). We report herein the isolation, structure elucidation and synthesis of 1 as well as the results of its biological evaluation, showing a potent analgesic activity mediated by serotonin receptors.
