The rise of infectious diseases and emerging pathogens poses a serious global public health challenge, driving the search for new antimicrobial agents. Marine sponges have drawn increasing interest as a rich source of natural products with potential as lead compounds for drug discovery. Researchers from the Technical University of Mombasa and the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (Kisumu and Mombasa, Kenya) recently conducted a study to identify marine sponge species from Kenyan waters using both morphological and molecular approaches. They also evaluated the antimicrobial activity of sponge-derived organic crude extracts against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. The bioactive compounds in the extracts were characterized using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). According to the authors, this marks the first comprehensive study to characterize marine sponges from Kenyan waters. Their findings were published in the International Journal of Microbiology (1).
Marine sponges are an important participant in the cycling of nutrients and organic matter in oceanic ecosystems and are believed to be a major source of bioactive substances (2). The class Demospongiae is an especially ample resource for biologically active specialized biochemical compounds with potential applications, such as antimicrobial, antitumor, antiviral, and antifouling properties (3). Marine sponges also yield allelochemicals, biochemical agents which are used to deter predators, prevent overgrowth by fouling organisms, and protect against pathogens, making them an ample provider of bioactive compounds with possible use in medicine (4,5). Research regarding the unique bioactive compounds which can be obtained from marine sponges may lead in innovations in medical science, especially in the creation of treatments for infections which are currently hard to treat (6).
In this study, three sponge species were chosen by the researchers for detailed analysis, each representing a distinct category of abundance category, and collected from separate sites along the northern Kenyan coastline (Kuruwitu, Kanamai, and Mtwapa). These included Carteriospongia foliascens (high abundance, observed at more than four sites), Callyspongia fallax (moderate abundance, recorded at two to three sites), and Paratetilla arciferal (rare, found at a single site). The sponge samples were collected during the southeast monsoon within a 60 min scuba dive, navigating through the rocky reefs at a depth range of 4.8–18 m (1,7).
The research revealed that dichloromethane extracts of carteriospongia foliascens demonstrated the highest antifungal activity against C. albicans (31.33 ± 1.2 mg mL-1), exceeding the standard drug fluconazole (29.33 ± 1.5 mg mL-1). The MIC values for the sponge extracts ranged from 3.86 to 5.89 mg mL-1, and the ethyl acetate extract of Callyspongia fallax had an MBC of 4.03 mg mL-1 against S. aureus. The GC-MS chromatogram identified 98 compounds across 41 classes in three sponge extracts with 9.2% of these compounds have been reported to exhibit antimicrobial activity against human pathogens (1).
The study shows that sponges are a source of useful biochemicals, with many holding great potential for drug discovery, the scientists wrote. They recommend that further research work to structurally elucidate and identify the most active bioactive compounds from the extracts of C. foliascens and C. fallax be conducted to broaden their application in combating viral pathogens as well as enhancing their relevance in integrated antimicrobial strategies (1).
References
- Wacira, T. N.; Makonde, H. M.; Kamau, J. N. et al. Identification and Antimicrobial Potential of Marine Sponges (Carteriospongia foliascens, Callyspongia fallax, and Paratetilla arcifera) from Kenyan Marine Waters. Int. J. Microbiol. 2025, 2025, 4208163. DOI:
10.1155/ijm/4208163 - Maslin, M..; Gaertner-Mazouni, N.; Debitus, C. et al. Marine Sponge Aquaculture Towards Drug Development: An Ongoing History of Technical, Ecological, Chemical Considerations and Challenges. Aquaculture Reports 2021, 21, 100813. DOI:
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10.3390/md8102619 - Huang Y. M.; de Voogd N. J.; Cleary D. F. R. et al. Biodiversity Pattern of Subtidal Sponges (Porifera: Demospongiae) in the Penghu Archipelago (Pescadores), Taiwan. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U. K. 2016, 96 (2), 417–427. DOI:
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