Inhibition of byssal thread formation of Limnoperna fortunei by natural products isolated from the brown alga Dictyota dichotoma

GARCÍA M., PÉREZ M., STUPAK M.; SILESS, PALERMO J

Newcastle

Congreso; The 15th International Congress on Marine Corrosion and Fouling (15th ICMCF); 2010

Newcastle University

The Asiatic freshwater mollusk, Limnoperna fortunei (golden mussel), is an introduced species of bivalve. Since their discovery in 1991, they have spread rapidly throughout Río de la Plata basin, colonizing Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay rivers. These mussels spend their adult lives attached to hard substratum such as rock and cobble, as well as concrete, iron, polyvinyl chloride, plastic, and fiberglass. Piping systems at public and private facilities that use raw water are particularly susceptible to golden mussel infestations. For this reason, there is great interest in devising non-toxic methods to control mussel settlement. The cosmopolitan brown alga Dictyota dichotoma is particularly abundant in the South Atlantic. It is characterized by producing diterpenoids with a variety of carbon skeletons. The major component of this species, collected at Las Grutas (Rio Negro, Argentine, 40° 45´ S - 64° 56‘ W) was pachydictyol A. Other derivative compounds with the same carbon skeleton as dictyotadiol and dictyoxide were obtained. All these compounds often act as chemical defense of the algae, giving it a bad taste and inhibiting the attack of predators