Antibacterial study and fatty acid analysis of lipids of the sponge <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myrmekioderma granulata</Emphasis>

The composition of the lipophilic extract of the sponge Myrmekioderma granulata (Esper) collected from 13 m depth of the Bay of Bengal of the Orissa coast was investigated. Fatty acids as well as volatiles and sterols were identified. 4,8,12-Trimethyltridecanoic acid was identified for the first time along with the important PUFAs such as linoleic acid (n-6, C18:2), dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (n-6, C20:3), 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (n-3, C20:4), and 5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (n-3, C20:5) from this species. The branched polyunsaturated fatty acids like br-C26:2, 25-methyl-5,9-heptacosadienoic acid and 24-methyl-5,9heptacosadienoic acid were also identified by GC-MS. The lipid extract exhibited limited activity against different pathogens.