ABSTRACT:

      Corals are invertebrate animals that belong to the Phylum Cnidaria. 
Corals have a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellate algae, zooxanthellae. 
The symbiont zooxanthellae provides the host coral with nutrients produced by 
photosynthesis. The coral supplies the carbon for photosynthesis.

      Corals live in shallow warm water and a colony of coral can consist of 
many thousands of polyps. Corals are classified as hard corals or soft corals. 
Hard corals have a hard calcium base, whereas, soft corals have internal 
skeletons made up of calcium carbonate. Calcification and photosynthesis are 
tightly coupled in zooxanthellae corals, and calcification is three times 
higher in light than in the dark. However, even in both shade and depth, 
zooxanthellae allow maximum absorption and utilization of light for 
photosynthesis.

     The soft coral Clavularia Viridis produces a abundance of  antitumor 
marine prostaniods. Research has shown that these compounds exhibit antitumor 
activity in vitro against certain cancer cells, for example, human lung 
adenocarcioma, human colon adenocarcinoma and mouse lymphocytic leukemia cells. 
Research suggests than coral prostanoids may be promising antitumor agents.   

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