Marine Natural Products and Their Biological Activities
Summary
Marine natural products encompass a vast array of secondary metabolites produced by organisms such as sponges, tunicates, molluscs, algae, cyanobacteria and marine bacteria. These compounds arise through diverse biosynthetic pathways including polyketide synthases, nonribosomal peptide synthetases and terpenoid assembly lines. Structurally, they range from small halogenated alkaloids and peptides to complex macrolides and polyketides. Their biological activities are equally varied, with many exhibiting potent antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and neuroprotective properties. For example, halogenated tyrosine derivatives from sponges have been shown to inhibit tumour cell migration, while cyclic peptides from marine bacteria demonstrate robust antibiotic activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens. The ecological roles of these compounds include chemical defence, competition and symbiotic interactions, yet their unique chemical scaffolds have become invaluable templates for drug discovery. Advances in genomics and genome mining have revealed numerous cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters in marine microbes, opening avenues for the heterologous expression and rational engineering of novel bioactive molecules. Sustainable harvesting and biotechnological synthesis are improving access to scarce marine resources, while synthetic biology approaches enable structural optimisation for enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity. As antibiotic resistance and cancer incidence rise globally, marine natural products continue to represent a critical reservoir of innovation with the potential to address unmet medical needs and foster new therapeutic modalities.
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Marine Natural Products and Their Biological Activities publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in marine natural products and their biological activities across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Secondary metabolite: An organic compound not directly involved in growth or reproduction but important for defence and ecological interactions.
Bromotyrosine derivative: A class of halogenated compounds derived from the amino acid tyrosine, notable for diverse bioactivities.
Nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS): A multi-enzyme complex that assembles peptides independently of the ribosome, often yielding cyclic or modified products.
Cytotoxic autophagy: A form of programmed cell death characterised by excessive self-digestion of cellular components via autophagosomes.
References
- Marine Bromotyrosine Derivatives in Spotlight: Bringing Discoveries and Biological Significance. Marine Drugs (2024).
- Tunicates as Sources of High-Quality Nutrients and Bioactive Compounds for Food/Feed and Pharmaceutical Applications: A Review. Foods (2023).
- An organic extract from ascidian Ciona robusta induces cytotoxic autophagy in human malignant cell lines. Frontiers in Chemistry (2024).
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