The ocean covers more than 70 % of the earth 's surface and is home to a variety of organisms. In order to survive under conditions of specific physical and chemical properties, such as temperature, salinity, pressure, light penetration, radiation exposure and oxygen concentration, marine organisms are in a constant state of adaptation. In this case, they can produce a large number of metabolites as defense tools for immobilizing and capturing predators. Such metabolites that exist naturally in marine organisms are marine natural products. In fact, Marine natural products not only have rich and diverse chemical structures, but also can show strong biological activities, such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticoagulant and antiviral. Based on these properties, they have been widely used in the pharmaceutical field, especially as an important source of drug molecules.
According to regulations, marine-derived natural products can be extracted from a variety of sources, including marine plants, marine animals and marine microorganisms.
Marine plants are autotrophic organisms in the ocean that use chlorophyll for photosynthesis to produce organic matter. Marine plants provide the material basis for the composition and functioning of the marine ecosystem. About 90 % of marine plant species are algae, and 50 % of total photosynthesis comes from algae. Unique marine habitats lead to differences in algae morphology and metabolism, making it an important source of marine natural products.
Compared with marine plants, marine animals are an advanced life form with more diverse physiological metabolic mechanisms. This leads to more chemicals and more complex structures originating from marine animals. At present, anemones, sponges, and a few shellfish and fish are the main objects of marine natural product research, but many species have not yet received attention. With the continuous progress of deep-sea exploration technology, more and more animals will be discovered and expand the scope of marine resources.
Marine microorganisms are defined by their habitat as microorganisms living in a marine environment. Marine microorganisms are an important source of marine natural products due to their chemical diversity and excellent biological activity. Over the last few decades, microorganisms associated with marine organisms such as actinomycetes, fungi, dinoflagellates, and cyanobacteria have produced many valuable compounds, some of which have been developed into successful drugs for human use.
Marine natural products exhibit a wide range of biological activities and play an important role in guiding the development of drugs to treat human diseases. The main biological activities they possess are described below.
Studies have shown that many natural products from marine plants and microorganisms have anti-cancer activity and show beneficial effects in the prevention and treatment of cancer. For example, bioactive peptides and polyketide metabolites from blue-green algae can efficiently kill cancer cells by inducing apoptosis or affecting cell signaling by activating the protein kinase c family.
Marine natural products obtained from different marine sources are considered to be sources of potential candidate compounds for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. For example, hymenialdisine alkaloids isolated from marine sponges, such as Acanthella aurantiaca and Stylissa massa, interfere with NF-κB and reduce the production of IL-8 and IL-1β, thereby inducing potential anti-inflammatory properties [1].
Natural products derived from marine organisms play an important role in antimicrobial chemical defence. For example, squalamine is a water-soluble aminosteroid extracted from the liver of the shark Squalus acanthis in 1993. This substance shows a strong broad-spectrum antimicrobial effect. Halogenated furanones from the red alga Delisea pulchra were shown to inhibit bacterial settlement, attachment, and growth.
Alfa Chemistry has a deep research foundation in the field of marine chemistry and is committed to providing customers with a wide range of marine natural products. If you do not find what you need, please contact us. We also offer product customization according to customer's detailed requirements.
References
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