Note
Four species of the genus Aplysina, namely, A. fistularis fulva, A. archeri, A. lacunosa, and
A. caulijormis have been studied, and fistularin-3 (1) has been identified as a compound active against feline
leukemia virus. Antiviral activity found in the crude extracts was found to correlate to the concentration of
fistularin-3 isolated by an hplc method. Similarly, the immunosuppressive agent in A. fistularis fulva has been
isolated and identified as aerothionin (2). These two compounds have been reported previously from the genus
Aplysina. This is the first report confirming the antiviral activity detected in different species of Aplysina with
the presence of fistularin-3.