The settlement and growth of fouling organisms on man-made surfaces can be prevented by the application of antifouling paints containing active compounds (biocides, heavy metals), most of which are toxic to non-target organisms. As part of our research program in chemical ecology and blue biotechnology, we are conducting studies to investigate the natural defence mechanisms of marine organisms that are free from epibionts, with the aim of isolating molecules involved in surface defence that could be good candidates as antifouling agents. Ascidians were selected for our investigation because previous studies have shown that they contain abundant and diverse secondary metabolites, which play a defensive role and have been applied to drug discovery. It is therefore relevant to study the role of such secondary metabolites in surface protection. In this study, 5 meroterpenoids (cordiachromene A, didehydroconicol, epiconicol, methoxyconidiol, conidione) from Aplidium aff. densum (ascidian) were investigated as potential antifoulants towards the inhibition of bacterial growth and settlement inhibition of barnacles. Cardiochromene A (IC₅₀ barnacle settlement = 6.04 μg/mL; MIC Gram positive = 125 μg/mL; MIC Gram negative = 32 μg/mL) and epiconicol (IC₅₀ barnacle settlement = 8.05 μg/mL; MIC Bacillus = 63 μg/mL; MIC other strains = 32 μg/mL) were the most promising compounds among those tested in this study.

使用含有活性化合物（杀菌剂、重金属）的防污涂料可以防止污垢生物在人造表面上的沉降和生长，其中大部分对非目标生物有毒。作为我们化学生态学和蓝色生物技术研究计划的一部分，我们正在开展研究，以研究没有表皮生物的海洋生物的自然防御机制，目的是分离参与表面防御的分子，这些分子可能是防污剂的良好候选者. 选择海鞘进行我们的调查是因为之前的研究表明它们含有丰富多样的次级代谢产物，具有防御作用并已应用于药物发现。因此，研究此类次生代谢物在表面保护中的作用是相关的。Aplidium aff。densum（海鞘）被研究作为潜在的防污剂，以抑制细菌生长和抑制藤壶的沉降。Cardiochromene A（IC ₅₀藤壶沉降 = 6.04 μg/mL；MIC 革兰氏阳性 = 125 μg/mL；MIC 革兰氏阴性 = 32 μg/mL）和 Epiconol（IC ₅₀藤壶沉降 = 8.05 μg/mL；MIC芽孢杆菌 = 63 μg/ mL；MIC 其他菌株 = 32 μg/mL）是本研究中测试的那些中最有希望的化合物。