Marine Natural Products in Clinical Use

Abstract

Marine natural products are potent and promising sources of drugs among other natural products of plant, animal, and microbial origin. To date, 20 drugs from marine sources are in clinical use. Most approved marine compounds are antineoplastic, but some are also used for chronic neuropathic pain, for heparin overdosage, as haptens and vaccine carriers, and for omega-3 fatty-acid supplementation in the diet. Marine drugs have diverse structural characteristics and mechanisms of action. A considerable increase in the number of marine drugs approved for clinical use has occurred in the past few decades, which may be attributed to increasing research on marine compounds in laboratories across the world. In the present manuscript, we comprehensively studied all marine drugs that have been successfully used in the clinic. Researchers and clinicians are hopeful to discover many more drugs, as a large number of marine natural compounds are being investigated in preclinical and clinical studies.

A forgotten element of the blue economy: marine biomimetics and inspiration from the deep sea

“…In some cases, the proteins associated with marine natural products provide direct inspiration for the development of novel synthetic constructs. Iconic examples of commercial products originating from marine biodiscovery include a suite of marine drugs (20 or which are in clinical use today 206 , while at least 33 more are in clinical trials) [207][208][209] . The rates of successful drug discovery from marine natural products is up to four times higher than their terrestrial counterparts, suggesting rich further potential 210,211 .…”

Bioactivity-Driven Synthesis of the Marine Natural Product Naamidine J and Its Derivatives as Potential Tumor Immunological Agents by Inhibiting Programmed Death-Ligand 1

“…Marine natural products (MNPs) have become an important resource of new drug discovery due to their unique and novel structures, as well as broad spectrum of biological activities . Nearly 20 marine drugs have been approved on market during the past decades, and antitumoral drugs account for over 50%, which might be related to the chemical defensive function of these toxic secondary metabolites usually produced by various marine invertebrates. , Therefore, it is a great opportunity to find antitumoral drug leads from marine sources. Our group has long been engaged in the discovery of bioactive MNPs and their bioactivity-driven synthesis, − and during our research, naamidines attracted our attention due to their unique structures and potential antitumoral activities. − Naamidines are a group of MNPs mainly isolated from the sponge Leucetta chagosensis.…”

Anticancer and Neuroprotective Effects of the Triterpene Glycosides From Sea Cucumber Holothuria imitans

“…6 In this sense, MNPs have shown an immense potential in the treatment of human illnesses; in fact, evidence demonstrates the antiviral, antitumoral and anti-inflammatory effects of these compounds, in addition to improve the immune function. 7,8 In fact, There are various marine organisms which are sources of MNPs, nevertheless the phylum Echinodermata is the one of the most significant sources; and inside this, the sea cucumbers from the class Holothuroidea, are one of the major sources of glycosylated compounds. 9 Generally, Sea cucumber glycosides have attracted special interest due to their cancer preventive and immunomodulatory properties.…”