Bioactivities of freshwater sponges and their associated bacteria: a review

Abstract

This review aims to provide an overview of the biological activities of freshwater sponges and their microbes associated with them. Freshwater sponges, despite their ecological significance and potential as reservoirs of bioactive compounds, remain underexplored compared to their marine counterparts. This review highlights the bioactivities of eight freshwater sponge extracts, among them being Ochridaspongia rotunda (Arndt,1937), Ephydatia fluviatilis (Linnaeus,1759), Oncosclera asiatica (Manconi & Ruengsawan,2012), Metania reticulata (Bowerbank,1863), Drulia browni (Bowerbank,1863), Drulia cristata (Weltner,1895), Drulia uruguayensis (Bonetto & Ezcurra de Drago,1969), and Eunapius carteri (Bowerbank,1863).Various extracts, including those obtained using methanol, acetone, aqueous, ethyl acetate, and methylene chloride, were employed in previous studies to evaluate a range of bioactivities. Observed bioactivities include antibacterial, antifungal, anti-quorum sensing, antiplasmodial, acetylcholinesterase inhibition, and anticancer properties, which are determined either from the crude extracts of the sponges themselves or by their associated microbes.