α-Glucosidase inhibitory activity of marine sponges collected in Mauritius waters.

This report describes the use of α-glucosidase to evaluate the anti-diabetic potential of extracts from marine sponges collected in the Mauritius waters. Initial screening at 1.0 mg/mL of 141 extracts obtained from 47 sponge species revealed 10 extracts with inhibitory activity greater than 85%.

Evaluation of hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of the sponge Jaspis diastra collected from Mauritius Waters on HeLa cells.

Objectives: Based on previous screening results, the cytotoxic effect of the hexane (JDH) and ethyl acetate extracts (JDE) of the marine sponge Jaspis diastra were evaluated on HeLa cells and the present study aimed at determining their possible mechanism of cell death.

Methods: Nuclear staining, membrane potential change, flow cytometry analysis of cell cycle distribution and annexin V staining were undertaken to investigate the effects of JDE and JDH. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance were used to characterize an isolated bioactive molecule.