OXYTOXINS, BIOACTIVE MOLECULES PRODUCED BY THE MARINE OPISTHOBRANCH MOLLUSK OXYNOE-OLIVACEA FROM A DIET-DERIVED PRECURSOR

The ethereal extract of the mucous secretion from the opisthobranch mollusc Oxynoe otivacea was examined and found to contain two novel ichthyotoxic compounds, named oxytoxin 1 and 2 (1, 2). The structures of 1 and 2 are closely related to the metabolites previously isolated from the alga Caulerpa prolifera. The activity of the most stable compound was studied in order to investigate the possibility of a further biological role for these metabolites, which represent an uncommon example of bioactive molecules produced in vivo from a dietary precursor.