Marine Natural Products Synthesis and Bioactivity
Summary
Marine ecosystems have yielded a remarkable array of natural products distinguished by their structural complexity and potent biological activities. Constituents isolated from sponges, molluscs, algae and microorganisms encompass diverse scaffolds such as alkaloids, terpenoids, polyketides and peptides. These molecules often serve ecological functions—defence against predation, fouling inhibition or chemical communication—and possess therapeutic potential against cancer, infectious diseases and neurological disorders. The scarcity of many marine metabolites has driven concerted efforts in total and semi-synthesis to secure sufficient quantities for bioactivity assays and preclinical studies. Innovations in synthetic methodology, including cascade reactions and late-stage functionalisation, have streamlined access to original scaffolds and novel analogues. In parallel, biosynthetic investigations, molecular networking and genomics have illuminated enzymatic pathways, enabling heterologous expression and synthetic-biology approaches. Computational tools such as molecular docking and ADME prediction further guide analogue design, refining potency and selectivity. Collectively, these interdisciplinary strategies are transforming marine natural products into tractable leads for drug discovery, while deepening our understanding of marine chemical ecology.
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Marine Natural Products Synthesis and Bioactivity publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in marine natural products synthesis and bioactivity across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Pyrroloiminoquinone: A heterocyclic core common to many sponge-derived alkaloids, notable for cytotoxic activity.
Total synthesis: The chemical construction of complex natural products from simple starting materials.
Molecular docking: A computational method that predicts how small molecules bind to protein targets.
ADME: An acronym for absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, key parameters in drug development.
Structure–activity relationship (SAR): Analysis of how chemical modifications influence biological potency and selectivity.
References
- Structural Insights into the Marine Alkaloid Discorhabdin G as a Scaffold towards New Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors. Marine Drugs (2024).
- Unified Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Makaluvamine J and Its Analogs. Molecules (2024).
- Marine Alkaloids: Compounds with In Vivo Activity and Chemical Synthesis. Marine Drugs (2021).
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