Marine Pharmacology
A section of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).
Section Information
Oceans cover roughly 70% of our planet and harbor extraordinary chemical and biological diversity that remains largely untapped for therapeutic discovery. Marine organisms produce structurally unique secondary metabolites, many with no terrestrial counterparts, which engage human disease targets in ways that continue to surprise chemists and biologists alike. Marine-derived compounds, for instance, have been shown to affect essentially all hallmarks of cancer and even contribute to epigenetic reprogramming, yet many of the underlying chemical scaffolds, molecular targets, and cell-signaling pathways remain to be fully elucidated.
This Section of Marine Drugs provides a comprehensive, advanced platform that bridges marine natural product chemistry and molecular and cellular pharmacology. It welcomes work spanning the full discovery-to-development pipeline, including the elucidation of molecular targets and mechanisms of action, as well as the preclinical and clinical evaluation of marine-derived drugs and formulations. By uniting the perspectives of natural product and synthetic chemists with those of molecular, cellular, and translational biologists, the Section aims to accelerate the path from ocean to clinic.
The Section publishes studies on the pharmacology of defined marine-derived compounds and their derivatives, including mechanisms of action, target identification, and preclinical and clinical evaluation. Studies on crude extracts or enriched fractions are considered only if the active constituent has been isolated, identified, and characterized pharmacologically and mechanistically. Reports of the bioactivity of undefined extracts or fractions, without isolation and mechanistic study of the active principle, fall outside the Section’s scope.
Scope
Molecular and cellular pharmacology:
- Molecular and cellular mechanisms of action of marine-derived compounds and their derivatives
- Target identification, target engagement, and signaling-pathway elucidation
- Omics and systems approaches in pharmacology, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics for mechanism and target deconvolution
- Modulation of cell signaling, gene expression, and epigenetic regulation by marine-derived compounds
- Effects on cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, autophagy, and other cellular processes
- Pharmacological modulation of receptors, ion channels, enzymes, and other molecular targets
- Immunopharmacology of marine-derived compounds, including immunomodulation, inflammation, and immuno-oncology
Pharmacology in disease and related pathologies:
- Pharmacological activity of marine-derived compounds in cancer, including effects on the hallmarks of cancer
- Activity in infectious, inflammatory, immune, metabolic, neurological, cardiovascular, and other disorders
- In vitro and in vivo efficacy in cell-based and animal models of disease
- Mechanistic studies linking molecular targets to therapeutic or pathological outcomes
Preclinical and clinical pharmacology
- Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, ADME, and toxicology of marine-derived compounds
- Preclinical and clinical research involving marine-derived drugs
- Reports on approved marine-derived drugs
- Marine-derived pharmaceutical formulations and drug delivery
Interdisciplinary and translational research
- Reports integrating pharmacology with marine biology, chemistry, biotechnology, and related disciplines
Editorial Board
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Marine Natural Products as Anticancer Agents—6th Edition (Deadline: 15 August 2026)
- Research on Marine Compounds and Inflammation (Deadline: 31 August 2026)
- Chemical Diversity and Therapeutic Potentials of Marine Invertebrates (Deadline: 15 September 2026)
- Marine Natural Products for Women’s Health (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Unexploited Marine Resources as Novel Sources of Antioxidants (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Marine Bioactive Molecules: Novel Therapeutic Advances in Neurodegenerative Diseases (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Marine Natural Products Against Inflammatory-Based Diseases (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Marine Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Agents, 5th Edition (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Marine Macromolecular Proteins: Structural Adaptations and Therapeutic Potential (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Marine Natural Products as Enzyme Inhibitors (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Pharmacological Potential of Marine Natural Products, 3rd Edition (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Marine-Derived Agents in Anticancer Targeting and Therapy (Deadline: 1 December 2026)
- Marine Drug Discovery Powered by AI (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Marine Natural Products as Promising Modulators of Ferroptosis (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Marine Bioactive Compound Discovery Through OSMAC Approach—2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Advanced Analytical Methods for Marine Natural Product Discovery (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Advances in Marine Polysaccharides: From Structure and Function to Biomedical and Nutraceutical Applications (Deadline: 15 January 2027)
- Marine-Derived Compounds in Metabolic Regulation and Chronic Disease (Deadline: 30 January 2027)
- Marine Microbial Bioactive Polysaccharides and Glycoconjugates (Deadline: 31 January 2027)
- Marine-Derived Bioactive Compounds for the Management of Metabolic Diseases and Associated Complications (Deadline: 28 February 2027)
Topical Collections
Following topical collections within this section are currently open for submissions:
