Production of Ecteinascidia turbinata (Ascidiacea: Perophoridae) for Obtaining Anticancer Compounds

Two methods have been tested in order to produce large quantities of Ecteinascidia turbinata for the extraction of anti-tumoral substances. With the first method, the capacity of generating biomass from settlement of larvae in a natural environment was estimated. The second method consisted of fragmenting colonies into small pieces, which were transplanted onto plastic screen where partial periodic collections of the colony could be carried out. For the first method, two different artificial substrates for settlement of larvae were studied: lines composed of hanging strips of wood, and plastic cords. The average production per unit of surface was significantly different between the two artificial substrates ( P < 0.005) (4.25 kg/M² on the wooden strips after 75 days versus 1.39 kg/m² on the plastic cords after 80 d). The transplant experiment showed a 93% survival of the colony 26 d after the colonies were transplanted and settled, and 96.48 kg of average biomass were collected, indicating a 235% increase in biomass. This system permits stolonial regrowth of the biomass fixed on the surface, without new transplants or settlements being needed, so that a continuous production can be maintained. The fragmentation of the colonies stimulate genet growth rates through the production of small daughter colonies which individually have higher relative growth rates than large colonies and, therefore, collectively have higher absolute growth rates than a large colony of similar biomass. The production of E. turbinata using a combination of the two methods is an example of successful production of metabolites from marine organisms while protecting natural populations.