Unlocking Marine Microbial Metabolites of Sponges and Sediments as a Source of Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi Compounds Vanessa Albuquerque, Felipe S. Sales, Vinícius Galvão Wakui, Lucília Kato, Ulisses Pinheiro, et al. Chemistry and Biodiversity, 2026 Marine microbial metabolites have long served as valuable sources for drug discovery, exhibiting diverse biological activities, including antiparasitic, antimicrobial, and antiviral effects. Chagas disease (CD), a neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi , affects approximately 8 million people worldwide. Currently, only two drugs are available for treatment, both associated with significant toxicity, underscoring the urgent need for new therapeutic alternatives. In this context, and considering the remarkable chemical diversity of marine bacteria, the present study investigated the anti‐ T. cruzi potential of metabolites produced by sediment‐ and sponge‐associated microbial communities from Buzios Island, Brazil. The sponges were identified as Cinachyrella alloclada and Haliclona (Soestella) caerulea . Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, nine marine bacterial isolates were identified, belonging to the genera Dokdonia , Vibrio , Alteromonas , Planococcus , Shewanella , Micrococcus , and Pseudoalteromonas . The antiparasitic activity of the extracts was evaluated against trypomastigote forms, yielding potent IC 50 values ranging from 1 to 87 µg/mL. Dereplication studies based on 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance and high‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry analyses of the Pseudoalteromonas piscicida extract revealed putative antitrypanosomal compounds, annotated as alkaloids and polycyclic tetramate macrolactams. Overall, this study demonstrates the high pharmacological potential of marine bacterial strains as sources of drug candidates for CD.
Afil, a Lectin from Aplysina fistularis, Exhibits Antibiofilm and Synergistic Antibacterial Activity Against Resistant Bacteria Francisco Regivanio Nascimento Andrade, João Marcelo de Sousa Silva, Jéssica de Assis Duarte, Philippe Lima Duarte, Pedro Arthur Sousa Tabosa, et al. Microorganisms, 2025 Lectins from marine sponges have emerged as promising candidates for antimicrobial strategies, particularly against biofilm-forming pathogens. In this study, we report the purification, biochemical characterization, and antibiofilm properties of a new lectin (AfiL) isolated from Aplysina fistularis. AfiL exhibited typical features of sponge lectins, including a β-sheet-rich secondary structure and a predominant oligomeric state in solution. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analyses confirmed that AfiL predominantly exists as a well-defined oligomer at acidic and neutral pH. Sequence analysis revealed similarity to a putative collectin-like protein from sponge Desydea avara. AfiL selectively agglutinated Staphylococcus aureus strains, correlating with its preferential binding to lipoteichoic acid (LTA). The lectin demonstrated significant antibiofilm activity against S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and Escherichia coli strains, and exhibited synergistic or additive effects when combined with conventional antibiotics against a Methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) revealed a strong interaction between AfiL and porcine stomach mucin (Kd = 1.71 × 10−6 M), consistent with multivalent carbohydrate recognition. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of AfiL as a novel antibiofilm agent with species-specific modulatory effects on antibiotic activity and provide new insights into the functional versatility of sponge-derived lectins in microbial control strategies.
Four new species of Mycale (Porifera: Demospongiae: Poecilosclerida) from the Southwest Atlantic ROSA MÁCOLA, ELIELTON NASCIMENTO, ULISSES PINHEIRO, ELIZABETH NEVES, RODRIGO JOHNSSON Zootaxa, 2025 Four new species of Mycale Gray, 1867 are described in shallow water environments from northeastern Brazil: Mycale (Zygomycale) odoya sp. nov., Mycale (Naviculina) oxeata sp. nov., Mycale (Paresperella) policuspidifera sp. nov. and Mycale (M.) salvadorensis sp. nov. The studied specimens were collected at Todos-os-Santos Bay, Bahia State, Brazil. They are preserved in 80% ethanol and deposited in the Porifera Collections at the Department of Zoology (UFPEPOR), Universidade Federal de Pernambuco and Museum of the Natural History of Bahia (UFBA), Universidade Federal da Bahia. Mycale (Z.) odoya sp. nov. is an arborescent sponge, with two megasclere categories, and the microscleres are palmate anisochelae in three size categories, palmate isochelae, sigmas in two size categories, toxas, raphides and micracanthoxeas. Mycale (N.) oxeata sp. nov. is a thinly encrusting sponge with transparent surface and easily detachable ‘skin’, the megascleres are composed of mycalostyles and an additional category of oxeas, palmate anisochelae in two size categories. Mycale (P.) policuspidifera sp. nov. is a thinly encrusting sponge that is yellowish in situ, subtylostyles length 165–266 µm, with tridentate or polydentate pointed ends, microscleres are serrated sigmas and palmate anisochelae in two categories. And finally, Mycale (M.) salvadorensis sp. nov. is a massive or encrusting sponge, with two mycalostyles categories and microscleres palmate anisochelae in three size categories, sigmas in two size categories and raphides in two size categories. In addition, we present a characterization of Mycale (Zygomycale) angulosa (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864).
Bioprospecting of Marine Organisms: Exploring Antibacterial Activities in Aqueous and Organic Extracts Vinícius Paulino Pinto Menezes, Aldeni Moreira da Silva Filho, Aline Jeferson Costa, Elielton Nascimento, Ulisses Santos Pinheiro, et al. Microorganisms, 2025 This study evaluated the antibacterial activity of aqueous and organic extracts from 78 marine organisms, including seaweeds and sponges, collected along the coast of Ceará, Brazil. Extracts were obtained by maceration using distilled water and 50% acetonitrile and tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis (Gram-positive), and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) using the disk diffusion method, and inhibition zone diameters were measured. Antibacterial activity was observed in 30.7% of the extracts, with organic extracts showing higher efficacy. Several sponge species, particularly those from the genus Aplysina, as well as Amphimedon compressa, Amphimedon viridis, Mycale sp., and Pseudosuberites sp., demonstrated notable inhibitory effects. While seaweed aqueous extracts showed no activity, some organic extracts—especially from Amansia multifida—were effective against Gram-positive strains. In general, Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible than Gram-negative bacteria. These findings underscore the biotechnological potential of marine organisms from the Brazilian coast as promising sources of antibacterial compounds and support future efforts focused on the isolation, characterization, and toxicological evaluation of active metabolites for pharmaceutical and industrial applications.
Rediscovery after three decades of the freshwater sponge Metania kiliani on a terrestrial fern Carolina do Valle Monteiro de SOUSA, Keven dos Santos LIMA, Ulisses PINHEIRO, Thaís Elias ALMEIDA Acta Amazonica, 2025 This study presents the second record of Metania kiliani (Porifera: Metaniidae) three decades after its description in 1992. The sponge was found on a herbarium specimen of the terrestrial fern Actinostachys pennula (Schizaeaceae), which is typically known to be absent from flooded environments. As sponges need at least some weeks to establish themselves on a support, this first record of a freshwater sponge on this fern suggests that A. pennula can withstand prolonged submergence. This is the first record of M. kiliani for the state of Roraima, Brazil.
A synopsis of Raspailia Nardo, 1833 (Porifera: Demospongiae: Axinellida) from the tropical and warm-temperate Southwestern Atlantic, with the description of four new species Radharanne Recinos, Thaynã Cavalcanti, Eduardo Hajdu, Ulisses Pinheiro Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2025 The tropical and warm-temperate Southwestern Atlantic, off the coastline of Brazil, has received substantial biodiversity inventory in the last decades. Sponges are a prominent part in this effort, which has led to the exploration of undersampled areas and taxonomic revisions. Raspailia comprises 79 species worldwide, 25 of which from the Atlantic, and up to now, only four from the tropical and warm-temperate Southwestern Atlantic. To conduct a much-needed systematic revision, we analyze materials collected from several localities spanning this vast area. Here, we describe four new species: R. ( Raspaxilla) bonsai sp. nov., R. ( Raspaxilla) konika sp. nov., R. ( Raspaxilla) estilingue sp. nov., and Raspailia ( Raspaxilla) leblanci sp. nov. Besides the new species, we redescribed R. ( Raspaxilla) tenuis Ridley & Dendy, 1886 based on revision of the holotype, described new records of R. ( Raspaxilla) muricyana Moraes, 2011 from the NE Brazilian coast, previously known only from the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, and described new specimens of R. ( Raspaxilla) bouryesnaultae Lerner et al. 2006. Seven species of Raspailia are now known in this large sector of the Atlantic, almost double what was known before. An identification key for these species is proposed.
Folk classification of sea sponges (Animalia, Porifera) by artisanal fishermen of a traditional fishing community at Camamu Bay, Bahia Brazil Interciencia, 2013
