Natural Products from the Red Seaweed Delisea Fimbriata

Abstract

The exceptional feature of marine natural products chemistry which sets it apart from the more traditional natural products chemistry is the wide-spread incorporation of the halogens into organic compounds. It seems obvious, after the fact, that this rich halogen metabolism is a result of the high concentration of halide ions in sea water. The seaweeds appear to be the primary site of halogen incorporation. Among the seaweeds, the Rhodophyta have yielded the largest number of halogen metabolites. The Bonnemaisoniaceae family is, as yet, the only one which incorporates all three of the common halogens, bromine, chlorine, and iodine, into organic metabolites. The compounds found are usually simple molecules which are often volatile^1,2,³. Another feature of the compounds of Bonnemaisoniaceae is their toxicity. Many of them are alkylating agents. This chemical armament is probably the reason for our observation of Asparagopsis taxiformis growing in the open on Pacific coral reefs, where most algae are heavily grazed by the diverse animal life.