marine drugs Review Marine Natural Products from New Caledonia—A Review Sofia-Eléna Motuhi 1,2, Mohamed Mehiri 3, Claude Elisabeth Payri 1, Stéphane La Barre 4,* and Stéphane Bach 2,* 1 Laboratoire d’Excellence Labex-CORAIL, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR ENTROPIE (IRD—Université de La Réunion—CNRS), BP A5, Nouméa Cedex 98848, Nouvelle-Calédonie; sofi[email protected] (S.-E.M.); [email protected] (C.E.P.) 2 USR 3151 CNRS, Protein Phosphorylation & Human Diseases, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Sorbonne Universities, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CS 90074, Roscoff Cedex F-29688, France 3 UMR 7272 CNRS, Marine Natural Products Team, Nice Institute of Chemistry (ICN), University Nice Sophia Antipolis, Parc Valrose, Nice Cedex 02 F-06108, France; [email protected] 4 UMR 8227 CNRS, Integrative Biology of Marine Models, Station Biologique de Roscoff, CS 90074, Roscoff Cedex F-29688, France * Correspondence: [email protected] (S.L.B.); [email protected] (S.B.); Tel.: +33-964-294-827 (S.L.B.); +33-298-292-391 (S.B.); Fax: +33-298-292-526 (S.L.B. & S.B.) Academic Editor: Paul Long Received: 20 July 2015; Accepted: 25 February 2016; Published: 16 March 2016 Abstract: Marine micro- and macroorganisms are well known to produce metabolites with high biotechnological potential. Nearly 40 years of systematic prospecting all around the New Caledonia archipelago and several successive research programs have uncovered new chemical leads from benthic and planktonic organisms. After species identification, biological and/or pharmaceutical analyses are performed on marine organisms to assess their bioactivities. A total of 3582 genera, 1107 families and 9372 species have been surveyed and more than 350 novel molecular structures have been identified. Along with their bioactivities that hold promise for therapeutic applications, most of these molecules are also potentially useful for cosmetics and food biotechnology. This review highlights the tremendous marine diversity in New Caledonia, and offers an outline of the vast possibilities for natural products, especially in the interest of pursuing collaborative fundamental research programs and developing local biotechnology programs. Keywords: New Caledonia; marine biodiversity; bioactive molecules pipeline; chemodiversity; coral reefs 1. Introduction Located approximately at 165˝ E and 21˝301 S, the New Caledonia archipelago enjoys a privileged position east of the city of Rockhampton, central province of the Great Barrier Reef, 1500 km away from the Australian Queensland coast, with surface seawater temperatures mild enough to avoid recurrent coral bleaching episodes. This tropical subregion of Melanesia is a relic of a continental landmass that drifted away from the super-continent Gondwana at the end of the Cretaceous period (see Pelletier 2007) [1]. Successive geological events have resulted in an archipelago that comprises a main island called Grande Terre, Ile des Pins in the south, the Entrecasteaux reefs in the north, the Loyalty Islands in the east and, finally, the Chesterfield-Bellona plateau in the west, located at mid-distance to Australian coast (Figure1). New Caledonian waters represent an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) spanning more than 1,700,000 km2. The EEZ includes a vast and complex reef system of 4537 km2 of reef area and Mar. Drugs 2016, 14, 58; doi:10.3390/md14030058 www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs Mar. Drugs 2016, 14, 58 2 of 60 Mar. Drugs 2016, 14, x 2 of 62 31,336 km2 of non-reef area [2] and represents the second most important coral reef complex and the longestkm continuous2 of non‐reef barrier area [2] reef and represents in the world, the second stretching most important over 1600 coral km. reef complex and the longest Thecontinuous reef systems barrier together reef in the make world, up stretching a unique over marine 1600 km. ecosystem [3] with more than 161 different reef units [4The] supporting reef systems high together marine make species up a unique diversity marine and ecosystem abundance [3] with [5 ],more including than 161 so-called different “living reef units [4] supporting high marine species diversity and abundance [5], including so‐called fossils” such as a stalked crinoid and a shelled cephalopod. “living fossils” such as a stalked crinoid and a shelled cephalopod. Figure 1. The archipelago of New Caledonia and its reef complexes (adapted from Andréfouët et al. Figure 1. The archipelago of New Caledonia and its reef complexes (adapted from Andréfouët et al. 2009 [2], with kind permission from the author). 2009 [2], with kind permission from the author). Only since the 19th century has attention been paid to diversity of the New Caledonian reef Onlysystems. since Many the 19th expeditions century have has been attention conducted been to paid study to diversitythe oceanic of life the of New these Caledonian hitherto reef systems.unexplored Many expeditions oceanic zones. have The been first conductedoceanographic to cruise, study the the Challenger oceanic lifeexpedition of these (1872–1876), hitherto unexplored led oceanicto zones. the collection The first of oceanographic thousands of previously cruise, the unknownChallenger marineexpedition species [6]. (1872–1876), Since the 19th led tocentury, the collection of thousandsscientific of interest previously has shifted unknown from the marine study of species “exotic” [6 specimens]. Since the stored 19th in century, museum scientificcollections interestand has classified according to their morphological features, to the study and understanding of marine shifted from the study of “exotic” specimens stored in museum collections and classified according to ecosystems. Charles Darwin’s landmark expeditions in the Eastern Pacific islands and his their morphologicalremarkable observations features, toon the the study formation and understandingof atolls from subsiding of marine volcanic ecosystems. islands Charles sparked Darwin’s landmarkcontinued expeditions interest in in the ecosystems Eastern Pacificbiology islandsin oceans and across his remarkablethe world. Research observations vessels on are the now formation of atollsequipped from subsiding with sophisticated volcanic equipment islands sparked to carry out continued on‐site sample interest analysis in ecosystems (e.g., molecular biology biology) in oceans across theand world. data transmission Research vesselsvia satellite are nowsystems. equipped For example, with sophisticatedthe schooner Tara equipment, specially tofit carryout with out on-site sampleon analysis‐board facilities, (e.g., molecular recently biology)sailed around and the data world transmission to study the via impact satellite of systems.global warming For example, on the plankton and coral reef systems across the Pacific [7]. schooner Tara, specially fit out with on-board facilities, recently sailed around the world to study the Pioneering scientific investigations in New Caledonian waters were carried out locally after impactWorld of global War warming II. The naturalist on plankton René Catala and initiated coral reef ecological systems surveys across and the species Pacific census [7]. around Ile Pioneeringaux Canards scientific [8], an island investigations off Nouméa in now New directly Caledonian exposed waters to human were activities, carried with out recent locally after World War II. The naturalist René Catala initiated ecological surveys and species census around Ile aux Canards [8], an island off Nouméa now directly exposed to human activities, with recent changes in reef zonation and species composition. In addition, in 1956, Catala founded the Aquarium of Nouméa (now the Aquarium des Lagons), a first-of-its-kind structure specifically designed to observe rare and fragile marine species in their environment, including homegrown corals. Catala incidentally discovered the Mar. Drugs 2016, 14, x 3 of 62 Mar.changes Drugs 2016in reef, 14, 58 zonation and species composition. In addition, in 1956, Catala founded3 ofthe 60 Aquarium of Nouméa (now the Aquarium des Lagons), a first‐of‐its‐kind structure specifically designed to observe rare and fragile marine species in their environment, including homegrown fluorescencecorals. Catala of incidentally living corals discovered [9] and other the invertebrates fluorescence (fluorescence of living corals appears [9] and to be other a photoprotective invertebrates and(fluorescence possibly temperature-regulatingappears to be a photoprotective mechanism). and possibly A few yearstemperature later, the‐regulating Singer-Polignac mechanism). expedition A few (1960–1963)years later, the explored Singer St.‐Polignac Vincent expedition Bay and the (1960–1963) east coast of explored Grande TerreSt. Vincent [10–12 Bay]. Similarly, and the the east American coast of ecologist,Grande Terre Arthur [10–12]. Lyon Similarly, Dahl, a regional the American adviser ecologist, at the South Arthur Pacific Lyon Commission Dahl, a regional from adviser 1974 to at 1982, the demonstratedSouth Pacific theCommission importance from of surface 1974 areato 1982, in ecological demonstrated analysis the and importance described severalof surface methods area forin conductingecological analysis surveys and of coral described reefs [several13,14]. methods for conducting surveys of coral reefs [13,14]. Bioprospecting studies in New Caledonia were initiated in 1976 by Pierre Potier from the ICSN (Institute of Natural Substances Chemistry, Gif-sur-Yvette,Gif‐sur‐Yvette, mainland France) as part of thethe national research program SNOM ((SubstancesSubstances