Styela clava (SC), a sea squirt has a biphasic life cycle, showed the animal phase during larval life and the vegetable phase during adult life. The adult SC becomes fixed on hard surface and covered with thick cellulose membrane to protect itself from various physical and chemical damages in marine environment. Especially, adult SC forms a huge cystic space as a portion of digestive tract, filled with seawater containing various planktons. In the present study, it is hypothesized that SC can produce secretory materials, like saliva in mammals, to sterilize, to neutralize, and to digest the cystic fluid. First of all, the cyst fluid was examined for the antimicrobial property by bacteria killing assay (BKA) using E. coli, and it resulted that the cyst fluid showed relatively weak bactericidal effect. The cyst fluid was also examined for antioxidant property by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2-azinobis-3-ethybenzthiazdine-6-sulphonic acid) assay, and resulted that the cyst fluid showed strong antioxidant effect comparable to ascorbic acid. The antioxidant materials of cyst fluid were found both in cationic and anionic groups separated by ion exchange column using SP and Q beads, and they were also heat resistant. The strong antioxidant property seems to be originated from the abundant carotenoid materials in the cyst fluid of SC. However, the strong antioxidant materials of the cyst fluid may play a role for the essential antioxidant in the digestive tract of SC. Furthermore, the cyst fluid of SC was examined using SNU-1 cancer cells for its anticancer property. The flow cytometry analysis showed that both of cationic and anionic materials purified from the cyst fluid showed strong anticancer effect on SNU-1 cells. Taken together, the cyst fluid of SC showed weak antimicrobial, but strong antioxidant property and marked anticancer properties in vitro experiment. Therefore, it is presumed that SCs can neutralize the various free radicals of seawater and also protect themselves from carcinogenic impacts in aggressive marine environment by various bioactve substances of their cyst fluid.

미더덕의 집단폐사가 주로 발생하는 여름철 고수온 및 빈산소에 의한 생물학적 지표를 찾아 대량폐사 원인 구명을 위한 기초자료로 활용하기 위하여 수온상승 및 용존산소농도 감소에 따른 미더덕의 생존율, 생리적 반 응 및 조직학적 변화 등을 조사하였다. 수온상승에 따른 생존율은 수온 23􀆆C에서 63.3%, 26􀆆C 에서 56.6%였으며, 수온 29􀆆C에서 노출 6일째 모두 사 망하여 노출 6일 동안의 반수치사 수온은(6day-LT50)은 24.58􀆆C (19.48~35.48􀆆C)였다. 용존산소 농도 감소에 따 른 생존율은 노출 11일째 용존산소농도 4.0 mg L-1에서 20%였으며, 2.0 mg L-1에서는 모두 사망하였고, 반수치사 용존산소 농도 (11day-LC50)는 3.88 mg L-1 (3.29~4.57 mg L-1)였다. 산소소비율과 암모니아질소 배설률은 임계 수온 및 임계용존산소 농도이하에서 감소하였다. 수온 상승 및 용존산소 농도 감소에 따른 미더덕의 새낭, 소화관 및 피낭의 병리조직학적 결과는 각 기관을 구성하고 있는 상피세포층의 증식, 응축 및 괴사, 식세포 및 혈구침윤, 섬모탈락, 근섬유 변성 등의 변성이 공통적 으로 관찰되었다. 미더덕은 수온 24􀆆C 이상, 용존산소 3.8 mg L-1 이하에서 조직학적 병변, 대사율 감소 등으로 환 경변화에 매우 민감한 생물이므로 여름철에 양성되고 있는 미더덕의 양식장관리에 세심한 관리가 요구된다.

본 연구에서는 미더덕양식장이 밀집되어 있는 남해안의 진동만 10개 정점에 대하여 미더덕과 주름미더덕의 양식순기에 맞추어 계절별(7월, 10월, 1월, 4월)로 실시하였으며, 어장 서식지 적합지수를 위한 어장평가인자로 수온, 클로로필 a, 부유입자물질, 해수유동, 염분, 용존산소 포화도를 이용하였다. 미더덕과 주름미더덕의 성장과 어장환경 상관성을 나타낼 수 있도록 각 인자들에 대한 그래프가 작성되었으며, 서식지 적합지수 산정결과 진동만의 서쪽해역(HSI 0.32~0.41)이 동쪽해역(HSI 0.19~0.27)보다 높은 적합지수를 보였다. 이러한 결과는 미더덕과 주름미더덕의 단위생산량과 유의한 상관성(R²=0.834, P<0.01)이 있음을 보였다. 본 연구는 과학적 어장적지평가를 통하여 지속적인 생산성을 위한 어장관리에 기여를 할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

Styela clava tunic is generated in large amounts as a waste from S. clava processing plants and leads to environmental problems. It destroys the beach scenery and causes a bad smell and pollution by trashing on the seashore. Therefore, purpose of this study was to investigate antioxidant and antihypertensive activities of different solvent extracts from S. clava tunic for recycling of fishery waste. Antioxidant and antihypertensive activities of all extracts were concentration-dependent. Of extracts, hot water extract showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity with the lowest effective concentration (EC50) value (0.733 mg/ml). Chloroform extract exhibited the highest metal chelation activity with the lowest EC50 value (2.696 mg/ml). Autoclaved water extract showed the highest NO radical scavenging activity with the lowest EC50 value (0.491 mg/ml) and n-hexane extract showed the highest reducing power (A700=1.897 at 100 mg/ml). And n-butanol extract showed the highest SOD-like activity with the lowest EC50 value (19.116 mg/ml) and ACE inhibition activity with the lowest inhibitory concentration(IC50) value (0.149 mg/ml). These results indicate that extracts obtained from S. clava tunic may potential candidate to reduce diseases caused by various oxidative stresses and hypertension.

Styela clava tunic is generated in large amounts as a waste from S. clava processing plants and causes environmental problem. Although biological activities of S. clava were reported by many investigators, study on S. clava tunic was little. In this study, therefore, tyrosinase inhibition and antioxidative activities of extracts from S. clava tunic using different solvent were investigated for recycling of the fishery waste. Among extraction methods tested, autoclaved extraction (25.7%) and hot water extraction (18.2%) appeared to be effective for extraction. The highest total phenolic content was 46.6 mg/g in autoclaved extract while the highest flavonoid content was 23.0 mg/g in chloroform extract. All extracts possessed tyrosinase inhibition activity and the inhibition activity was concentration-dependent. Inhibition concentration (IC50) against tyrosinase activity was 0.36×104 mg/ml in ethanol extract, 0.11×103 mg/ml in acetone extract and 0.27 mg/ml in n-butanol extract. Among extracts tested, hot water and autoclaved extracts displayed higher antioxidative activity than organic solvent extracts. Therefore, our data suggest that extract from S. clava tunic may potential candidate for cosmetic product with whitening effect and medicine for diseases caused by various oxidative stresses.