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Marine Natural Products — a Vital Source of Novel Biotherapeutics

  • Naturopathy, Nanotechnology, Nutraceuticals, and Immunotherapy in Cancer Research (H Latha, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The ocean is a complex environment, encompassing 75% of living organisms from 36 phyla. The marine natural products (MNPs) are entirely different in their specificity and structure. Hence, the MNPs could be potential candidates for the discovery of novel drugs and lead molecules. The current article is focused to review and discuss the MNPs and their utilization as lead molecules and in drug discovery.

Recent Findings

The utilization of marine organisms has widened in the recent years which has caused the isolation of 28,000 MNPs. The timeline of MNPs entering the pharma market started with the commercialization of kainic acid in 1900 for use as anthelmintic and as insecticide followed by spongothymidine and spongouridine in 1950. FDA and EU have approved MNps including cytrabine (1969), vidrabine (1976), ziconitide (2004), omega 3 fatty acid ethyl ester, trabectidin (2007), EribulinMesylate (2010), Brentunimabvedotin (2011), and iota-carrageenan.

Summary

MNPs have been isolated from various resources have demonstrated a wide range of pharmacological properties including antibacterial, antiviral, analgesic, anticancer, apoptotic, angiogenic, and antioxidant properties. Some MNPs are approved for the treatment of various diseases and still some are in the pipeline for utilization. With the advent of novel technologies and recent scientific advancements, more new entities are expected to be discovered from the marine origin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, BS Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    S. M. Fazeela Mahaboob Begum & S. Hemalatha

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Begum, S.M.F.M., Hemalatha, S. Marine Natural Products — a Vital Source of Novel Biotherapeutics. Curr Pharmacol Rep 8, 339–349 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40495-022-00295-8

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