Cyanobacteria Natural Products as Sources for Future Directions inAntibioticDrug Discovery

Abstract

Cyanobacteria, an abundant source of natural products with a broad diversity of secondary metabolites, have emerged as a novel resource for the progression of synthetic analogs. Due to the rise of antibiotic resistance, there is a need for new medications and cyanobacteria-derived compounds have shown promising important alternatives for new therapeutics. These secondary metabolites are produced through nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS), polyketide synthase (PKS), and mainly through mixed NRPS-PKS enzymatic systems. Current research is focused on the exploitation of cyanobacteria for the production of bioactive metabolites. Screening of cyanobacteria for pharmaceutically active compounds has received increasing attention; however, limited knowledge is available on biosynthetic mechanisms that would enhance the drug discovery process and culture-based production of desired metabolites. Overall, there is a promising outlook that cyanobacterial secondary metabolites will become alternatives for the development of new medications in a near future with enhanced pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties.

Exploring the Benefits of Phycocyanin: From Spirulina Cultivation to Its Widespread Applications

“…Currently, due to a greater demand of natural compounds, the large-scale cultivation of Spirulina is also focused on the production of high-value proteins, mainly phycocyanin (blue pigment), which, according to its purity grade, can be used in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries [6,31,33]. In fact, the global phycocyanin market is expected to reach $245.5 million by 2027 [35].…”

“…In this context, marine resources, especially microalgae, are gaining global interest to meet this requirement due to their high nutritional profile as alternative sources of proteins, pigments, antioxidants, carbohydrates, and lipids, as well as the variety of high-value molecules that can be used in different industries [3,4] In addition, there is a need for new bioactive molecules due to increasing antibiotic resistance, which is expected to be the leading cause of death by 2050 [5]. The potential of microalgae-derived metabolites as natural alternatives for developing analogous compounds of antibiotics and other drugs to treat various diseases has been demonstrated, showing great promise for application in the pharmaceutical industry [6]. However, natural resources are often highly exploited to fuel global growth, often leading to depletion of these resources, degradation of soil quality, and increased burning of fossil fuels.…”

A comprehensive review of the therapeutic potential of cyanobacterial marine bioactives: Unveiling the hidden treasures of the sea

“…While screening for these bioactive compounds is popular, there is limited knowledge of biosynthetic mechanisms for drug discovery and culture‐based production. Nonetheless, cyanobacterial secondary metabolites of cyanobacteria are promising for the development of new drugs with improved properties (Nowruzi, 2022). This study investigates the structure, processing, applications, and strategies of cyanobacterial‐phycoerythrin (C‐PE) improve its stability and commercial value.…”

Phycocyanin, The Microalgae Bio-Treasure

“…These bioactive compounds derived from microalgae exhibit significant biological functions and find applications across diverse industries [7][8][9]. Notably, microalgae have emerged as promising candidates for producing metabolites with pharmaceutical applications, offering natural alternatives for the development of analog compounds to therapeutic drugs [10]. As a result, there is a rising demand for algae products, underscoring the increasing recognition of the significant contributions that microalgae can make across several industrial sectors [7][8][9].…”