Differentiating between different Plocamium species of marine algae is not a trivial task. However, a literature review reveals that each species of Plocamium has a major and minor metabolite that is unique to a particular Plocamium species being investigated. Knowledge about the chemotaxonomy of these unique major and minor metabolite standards therefore enables the potentially rapid identification of Plocamium species by means of either 1H NMR or GC-MS analysis of crude Plocamium extracts.
AfolayanA.F., MannM.G.A., LateganC.A., SmithP.A., BoltonJ.J., BeukesD.R. (2009) Antiplasmodial halogenated monoterpenes from the marine red alga, Plocamium cornutum.Phytochemistry, 70, 597–600.
2.
AntunesE.M., AfolayanA.F., ChiwakataM.T., FakeeJ., KnottM.G., WhibleyC.E., HendricksD.T., BoltonJ.J., BeukesD.R. (2011) Identification and in vitro anti-esophageal cancer activity of a series of halogenated monoterpenes isolated from the South African seaweeds Plocamium suhrii and Plocamium cornutum.Phytochemistry, 72, 769–772.
3.
KnottM.G., MkwananziH., ArendseC.E., HendricksD.T., BoltonJ.J., BeukesD.R. (2005) Plocoralides A-C, polyhalogenated monoterpenes from the marine alga, Plocamium corallorhiza.Phytochemistry, 66, 1108–1112.
4.
BoltonJ. (2014) Personal Communication.University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
5.
KnottM.G. (2012) Isolation, structural characterisation and evaluation of cytotoxic activity of natural products from selected South African marine red algae. PhD thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
6.
LouwS., KandjengoL., KnottM. (2017) Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with retention index prediction for the rapid identification of halogenated monoterpenes from a Namibian Plocamium species. Natural Product Communications, 12, 207–211.
7.
KnottM.G., LouwS., BrandJ., KandjengoL., IsholaA. (2018) The isolation and structural determination of 3,4-erythro-7-dichloromethyl-3-methyl-3,4,8-trichloro-1,5E,7E-octatriene from a Namibian Plocamium species. International Science and Technology Journal of Namibia, accepted for publication
8.
KnottM.G., AntunesE., BoltonJ., de la MareeJ., EdkinsA., BeukesD.R. (2018) Plaxenone A-B: Cytotoxic halogenated monoterpenes from Plocamium maxillosum. Phytochemistry Letters (Submitted).
9.
FakeeJ. (2013) The Isolation and Characterisation of Secondary Metabolites from Selected South African Marine Red Algae (Rhodophyta), MSc thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa, 27.
10.
MannM.G.A., MkwananziH., AntunesE.M., WhibleyC.E., HendricksD.T., BoltonJ.J., BeukesD.R. (2007) Halogenated monoterpene aldehydes from the South African marine Alga Plocamium corallorhiza.Journal of Natural Products, 70, 596–599.
