A Bird’s Eye View on Evaluation of Anti-Plasmodial Efficacy of Natural Products Isolated from Marine Sources

Abstract

Malaria is one of the deadliest vector spreading diseases which causes enormous health concern in the tropical world, especially in sub-Saharan countries. Despite tremendous efforts around the globe, malaria is one of the leading causes of death in those areas. In addition, the appearance of resistance to the currently available drugs are making the situation more alarming, which highlights the urgency for continued research to stay prepared and evaluation of natural products could be the best approach in this direction. In drug discovery, nature plays an important role as most of the currently marketed drugs are either modified or nonmodified or synthetic compounds with a natural product as a pharmacophore. Even in the case of antimalarial drugs, starting from the discovery of quinine to the currently utilized artemisinin, most of the effective antimalarial drugs are derived from terrestrial natural sources. However, although the ocean constitutes almost 75% of the Earth, the exploration and discovery of antimalarial drugs from marine sources are very limited. This comprehensive review assimilates anti-malarial natural products derived from marine sources in recent times. In particular, the natural products from oceanic microorganisms and their plants are considered as sources for the review.