Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Marine Natural Products
Summary
Marine organisms furnish a rich array of complex secondary metabolites whose scarcity and structural intricacy drive advances in chemical synthesis and pharmacological assessment. Synthetic strategies—ranging from stereoselective catalysis and cross-coupling methodologies to polyacetylene approaches—enable the generation of natural products and analogues in quantities sufficient for biological testing. These efforts underpin detailed studies of cytotoxicity, enzyme inhibition and mechanism of action in assays spanning microbial pathogens, cancer cell lines and inflammatory models. Integration of structure–activity relationship analysis with modern spectroscopic and in silico tools has revealed key functional motifs governing potency and selectivity. The sustainable production of marine natural products through total synthesis not only secures supply for drug discovery but also allows systematic modification to optimise pharmacological profiles and reduce environmental impact.
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Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Marine Natural Products publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in synthesis and biological evaluation of marine natural products across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Polyacetylene: Organic compounds containing alternating single and triple carbon–carbon bonds.
Stereoselective synthesis: A synthetic strategy favouring the formation of a specific stereoisomer.
Cytotoxicity: The ability of a substance to kill or inhibit the growth of cells.
Structure–activity relationship (SAR): The correlation between a compound’s chemical structure and its biological effect.
Cross-coupling: A metal-catalysed reaction forming a new carbon–carbon bond between two organic fragments.
References
- Asymmetric Synthesis of Methoxylated Ether Lipids: Total Synthesis of Polyunsaturated C18:3 Omega-3 and Omega-6 MEL Triene Derivatives. Molecules (2023).
- Cytotoxic Alkylynols of the Sponge Cribrochalina vasculum: Structure, Synthetic Analogs and SAR Studies. Marine Drugs (2022).
- Natural Trienoic Acids as Anticancer Agents: First Stereoselective Synthesis, Cell Cycle Analysis, Induction of Apoptosis, Cell Signaling and Mitochondrial Targeting Studies. Cancers (2021).
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