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Biomolecules
Special Issues
Marine Natural Compounds with Biomedical Potential
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Marine Natural Compounds with Biomedical Potential

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 16880

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Elena Leychenko

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Guest Editor
G.B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 159, Pr. 100 let Vladivostoku, Vladivostok 690022, Russia
Interests: marine bioprospecting; sea anemone venoms; combinatorial peptide libraries; recombinant peptides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To date, more than half of drugs are natural compounds or substances obtained by their chemical transformation. Marine organisms are attracting particular attention in this respect. It is on the basis of their metabolites that a new generation of antitumor medicines (yondelis, eribulin, and vedotin) have recently been created. The use of modern “omics” technologies, such as metabolomics, genomics, proteomics, and venomics, makes it possible to ensure the scale and maximum efficiency for studying compounds of various origins with biomedical potential using limited initial biomaterial. This opens up new possibilities for studying the structures and biological activities of new compounds, including complete metabolomes/transcriptomes and individual minor components of complex natural mixtures.

Marine organisms are an inexhaustible source of natural compounds that are promising for the creation of drugs or biologically active additives, which is closely related to the huge biological diversity of the resources of the World Ocean. More than 99% of the studied marine natural compounds are new, having no analogues among land plants and animals. The spectrum of biological activities shown by metabolites of marine origin is extremely wide; they exhibit antitumor, cancer-preventive, analgesic, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, and other actions. The probability of the release of new highly active substances from marine organisms, on the basis of which drugs for human and veterinary medicine can be created, along with the corresponding technologies for their use, is quite high.

This Special Issue covers the role of marine organisms in biomolecule production, including screening extracts or isolating new metabolites and evaluating their biological activity.

Dr. Elena Leychenko
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • marine organisms
  • marine natural compounds
  • structural and functional relationships
  • biological activity

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 166 KiB  
Editorial
Marine Natural Compounds with Biomedical Potential
by Elena Leychenko
Biomolecules 2022, 12(9), 1242; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12091242 - 6 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1160
Abstract
Marine organisms are an inexhaustible source of natural compounds that are promising for the creation of drugs or biologically active additives, which is closely related to the huge biological diversity of the resources of the World Ocean [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Natural Compounds with Biomedical Potential)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

16 pages, 15129 KiB  
Article
Identification, Synthesis, Conformation and Activity of an Insulin-like Peptide from a Sea Anemone
by Michela L. Mitchell, Mohammed Akhter Hossain, Feng Lin, Ernesto L. Pinheiro-Junior, Steve Peigneur, Dorothy C. C. Wai, Carlie Delaine, Andrew J. Blyth, Briony E. Forbes, Jan Tytgat, John D. Wade and Raymond S. Norton
Biomolecules 2021, 11(12), 1785; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11121785 - 29 Nov 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2605
Abstract
The role of insulin and insulin-like peptides (ILPs) in vertebrate animals is well studied. Numerous ILPs are also found in invertebrates, although there is uncertainty as to the function and role of many of these peptides. We have identified transcripts with similarity to [...] Read more.
The role of insulin and insulin-like peptides (ILPs) in vertebrate animals is well studied. Numerous ILPs are also found in invertebrates, although there is uncertainty as to the function and role of many of these peptides. We have identified transcripts with similarity to the insulin family in the tentacle transcriptomes of the sea anemone Oulactis sp. (Actiniaria: Actiniidae). The translated transcripts showed that these insulin-like peptides have highly conserved A- and B-chains among individuals of this species, as well as other Anthozoa. An Oulactis sp. ILP sequence (IlO1_i1) was synthesized using Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis of the individual chains, followed by regioselective disulfide bond formation of the intra-A and two interchain disulfide bonds. Bioactivity studies of IlO1_i1 were conducted on human insulin and insulin-like growth factor receptors, and on voltage-gated potassium, sodium, and calcium channels. IlO1_i1 did not bind to the insulin or insulin-like growth factor receptors, but showed weak activity against KV1.2, 1.3, 3.1, and 11.1 (hERG) channels, as well as NaV1.4 channels. Further functional studies are required to determine the role of this peptide in the sea anemone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Natural Compounds with Biomedical Potential)
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18 pages, 13753 KiB  
Article
Cytotoxic Compounds of Two Demosponges (Aplysina aerophoba and Spongia sp.) from the Aegean Sea
by Maria Orfanoudaki, Anja Hartmann, Mostafa Alilou, Naida Mehic, Marcel Kwiatkowski, Karin Jöhrer, Hieu Nguyen Ngoc, Andreas Hensel, Richard Greil and Markus Ganzera
Biomolecules 2021, 11(5), 723; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11050723 - 12 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2388
Abstract
The class of demosponges is the biggest and most diverse of all described sponge species and it is reported to produce a plethora of chemically different metabolites with interesting biological activities. The focus of the present study was to investigate the chemical composition [...] Read more.
The class of demosponges is the biggest and most diverse of all described sponge species and it is reported to produce a plethora of chemically different metabolites with interesting biological activities. The focus of the present study was to investigate the chemical composition of two Mediterranean demosponges, targeting their brominated compounds and prenylated hydroquinones, compounds with interesting cytotoxic and anti-microbial properties. In order to gain a deeper insight into the chemical diversity of their metabolites and their activities, 20 pure secondary metabolites including new natural products were isolated from two different species (Aplysina aerophoba and Spongia sp.) using various chromatographic techniques. Their structures were confirmed by NMR and HRMS, revealing molecules with various chemical scaffolds, mainly prenylated hydroquinones from Spongia sp. and halogenated compounds from Aplysina aerophoba, including 5 novel natural products. The isolated compounds were investigated for their cytotoxic properties using 9 different cell lines, and especially one compound, 2,6-dibromo-4-hydroxy-4-methoxycarbonylmethylcyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-one showed good activities in all tested models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Natural Compounds with Biomedical Potential)
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15 pages, 1567 KiB  
Article
New Triterpene Glycosides from the Far Eastern Starfish Solaster pacificus and Their Biological Activity
by Timofey V. Malyarenko, Alla A. Kicha, Anatoly I. Kalinovsky, Pavel S. Dmitrenok, Olesya S. Malyarenko, Alexandra S. Kuzmich, Valentin A. Stonik and Natalia V. Ivanchina
Biomolecules 2021, 11(3), 427; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11030427 - 14 Mar 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2168
Abstract
Three new triterpene glycosides, pacificusosides A–C (1–3), and three previously known triterpene glycosides, cucumariosides C1 (4), C2 (5), and A10 (6), were isolated from the alcoholic extract of the Far [...] Read more.
Three new triterpene glycosides, pacificusosides A–C (1–3), and three previously known triterpene glycosides, cucumariosides C1 (4), C2 (5), and A10 (6), were isolated from the alcoholic extract of the Far Eastern starfish Solaster pacificus. The structures of 1–3 were elucidated by extensive NMR and ESIMS techniques and chemical transformations. Compound 1 has a novel, unique structure, containing an aldehyde group of side chains in its triterpene aglycon. This structural fragment has not previously been found in the sea cucumber triterpene glycosides or starfish steroidal glycosides. Probably, pacificusoside A (1) is a product of the metabolism of the glycoside obtained through dietary means from a sea cucumber in the starfish. Another two new triterpene glycosides (2, 3) have closely related characteristics to sea cucumber glycosides. The cytotoxicity of compounds 1–6 was tested against human embryonic kidney HEK 293 cells, colorectal carcinoma HT-29 cells, melanoma RPMI-7951 cells, and breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells using MTS assay. Compounds 4–6 revealed the highest cytotoxic activity against the tested cell lines, while the other investigated compounds had moderate or slight cytotoxicity. The cytotoxic effects of 2–6 were reduced by cholesterol like the similar effects of the previously investigated individual triterpene glycosides. Compounds 3, 4, and 5 almost completely suppressed the colony formation of the HT-29, RPMI-7951, and MDA-MB-231 cells at a nontoxic concentration of 0.5 µM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Natural Compounds with Biomedical Potential)
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Review

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29 pages, 2443 KiB  
Review
Marine Origin Ligands of Nicotinic Receptors: Low Molecular Compounds, Peptides and Proteins for Fundamental Research and Practical Applications
by Igor Kasheverov, Denis Kudryavtsev, Irina Shelukhina, Georgy Nikolaev, Yuri Utkin and Victor Tsetlin
Biomolecules 2022, 12(2), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12020189 - 23 Jan 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3301
Abstract
The purpose of our review is to briefly show what different compounds of marine origin, from low molecular weight ones to peptides and proteins, offer for understanding the structure and mechanism of action of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and for finding novel drugs [...] Read more.
The purpose of our review is to briefly show what different compounds of marine origin, from low molecular weight ones to peptides and proteins, offer for understanding the structure and mechanism of action of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and for finding novel drugs to combat the diseases where nAChRs may be involved. The importance of the mentioned classes of ligands has changed with time; a protein from the marine snake venom was the first excellent tool to characterize the muscle-type nAChRs from the electric ray, while at present, muscle and α7 receptors are labeled with the radioactive or fluorescent derivatives prepared from α-bungarotoxin isolated from the many-banded krait. The most sophisticated instruments to distinguish muscle from neuronal nAChRs, and especially distinct subtypes within the latter, are α-conotoxins. Such information is crucial for fundamental studies on the nAChR revealing the properties of their orthosteric and allosteric binding sites and mechanisms of the channel opening and closure. Similar data are provided by low-molecular weight compounds of marine origin, but here the main purpose is drug design. In our review we tried to show what has been obtained in the last decade when the listed classes of compounds were used in the nAChR research, applying computer modeling, synthetic analogues and receptor mutants, X-ray and electron-microscopy analyses of complexes with the nAChRs, and their models which are acetylcholine-binding proteins and heterologously-expressed ligand-binding domains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Natural Compounds with Biomedical Potential)
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40 pages, 4623 KiB  
Review
Cytotoxic Alkaloids Derived from Marine Sponges: A Comprehensive Review
by Ahmed M. Elissawy, Ebrahim Soleiman Dehkordi, Negin Mehdinezhad, Mohamed L. Ashour and Pardis Mohammadi Pour
Biomolecules 2021, 11(2), 258; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11020258 - 10 Feb 2021
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3906
Abstract
Marine sponges (porifera) have proved to be a prolific source of unique bioactive secondary metabolites, among which the alkaloids occupy a special place in terms of unprecedented structures and outstanding biological activities. Identification of active cytotoxic alkaloids extracted from marine animals, particularly sponges, [...] Read more.
Marine sponges (porifera) have proved to be a prolific source of unique bioactive secondary metabolites, among which the alkaloids occupy a special place in terms of unprecedented structures and outstanding biological activities. Identification of active cytotoxic alkaloids extracted from marine animals, particularly sponges, is an important strive, due to lack of knowledge on traditional experiential and ethnopharmacology investigations. In this report, a comprehensive survey of demospongian bioactive alkaloids in the range 1987–2020 had been performed with a special emphasis on the potent cytotoxic activity. Different resources and databases had been investigated, including Scifinder (database for the chemical literature) CAS (Chemical Abstract Service) search, web of science, Marin Lit (marine natural products research) database. More than 230 representatives of different classes of alkaloids had been reviewed and classified, different genera belonging to the phylum porifera had been shown to be a prolific source of alkaloidal molecules, including Agelas sp., Suberea sp., Mycale sp., Haliclona sp., Epipolasis sp., Monanchora sp., Crambe sp., Reniera sp., and Xestospongia sp., among others. The sufficient production of alkaloids derived from sponges is a prosperous approach that requires more attention in future studies to consider the constraints regarding the supply of drugs, attained from marine organisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Natural Compounds with Biomedical Potential)
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