Marine-Derived Terpenes: Chemistry, Synthesis and Their Therapeutic Potential

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Synthesis and Medicinal Chemistry of Marine Natural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2025 | Viewed by 6297

Special Issue Editors

Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
Interests: marine fungi; natural products; metabolomics; molecular network; diterpenoid

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Guest Editor
School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
Interests: synthetic biology; natural products engineering; microbial cell factories; yeast engineering; bioprocess optimization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ocean is increasingly recognized as a significant source of natural compounds. Terpenes have garnered significant attention due to their widespread occurrence in marine organisms and their diverse biological activities.

This Special Issue will comprehensively present the latest discoveries and progress of marine terpenes, focusing on the discovery of terpenes, their chemical structures, biological activities, and therapeutic potential, as well as the synthesis and biosynthetic research of important terpenes.

Studies on the isolation, structural elucidation, and biosynthetic pathways of marine terpenes, as well as the synthetic strategies for terpenes are encouraged to be submitted. We also welcome contributions that focus on the anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and other biological activities of marine terpenes, as well as their potential use in drug discovery and development.

For this Special Issue, we invite academic and industry scientists to submit reviews and original and conceptual research articles highlighting the advancements of known or novel marine terpenes.

Dr. Jinmei Xia
Dr. Wenhai Xiao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • marine
  • terpene
  • structure elucidation
  • biosynthetic pathway
  • synthetic method
  • bioactivity
  • therapeutic application
  • anticancer
  • antimicrobial

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1931 KiB  
Article
Geliboluols A–D: Kaurane-Type Diterpenoids from the Marine-Derived Rare Actinomycete Actinomadura geliboluensis
by Chang-Su Heo, Jong Soon Kang, Jeong-Wook Yang, Min Ah Lee, Hwa-Sun Lee, Chang Hwan Kim and Hee Jae Shin
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(2), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23020078 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1171
Abstract
Four new kaurane-type diterpenoids, geliboluols A–D (14), along with one known analog (5), were isolated from the culture broth of the marine-derived rare actinomycete Actinomadura geliboluensis. The structures of compounds 14 were determined by [...] Read more.
Four new kaurane-type diterpenoids, geliboluols A–D (14), along with one known analog (5), were isolated from the culture broth of the marine-derived rare actinomycete Actinomadura geliboluensis. The structures of compounds 14 were determined by spectroscopic analysis (HR-ESIMS, 1D, and 2D NMR), the MPA method, and by comparing their optical rotation values with those in the literature. The new compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against seven blood cancer cell lines by a CellTiter-Glo (CTG) assay and six solid cancer cell lines by a sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Among the new compounds, compound 4 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity against some blood cancer cell lines, with GI50 values ranging from 2.59 to 19.64 µM, and against solid cancer cell lines with GI50 values ranging from 4.34 to 7.23 µM. Full article
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10 pages, 2011 KiB  
Communication
Cytotoxic Pentaketide-Sesquiterpenes from the Marine-Derived Fungus Talaromyces variabilis M22734
by Lingzhi Tang, Jinmei Xia, Zhongwei Chen, Xiaohui Wu, Guangyu Li, Qiliang Lai, Zongze Shao, Weiyi Wang and Xuan Hong
Mar. Drugs 2024, 22(6), 274; https://doi.org/10.3390/md22060274 - 13 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1814
Abstract
Talaromyces, a filamentous fungus widely distributed across terrestrial and marine environments, can produce a diverse array of natural products, including alkaloids, polyketones, and polyketide-terpenoids. Among these, chrodrimanins represented a typical class of natural products. In this study, we isolated three previously undescribed [...] Read more.
Talaromyces, a filamentous fungus widely distributed across terrestrial and marine environments, can produce a diverse array of natural products, including alkaloids, polyketones, and polyketide-terpenoids. Among these, chrodrimanins represented a typical class of natural products. In this study, we isolated three previously undescribed pentaketide-sesquiterpenes, 8,9-epi-chrodrimanins (13), along with eight known compounds (411). The structures of compounds 13 were elucidated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS), while their absolute configurations were determined through X-ray crystallography and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) computations. The biosynthetic pathways of compounds 13 initiate with 6-hydroxymellein and involve multiple stages of isoprenylation, cyclization, oxidation, and acetylation. We selected four strains of gastrointestinal cancer cells for activity evaluation. We found that compound 3 selectively inhibited MKN-45, whereas compounds 1 and 2 exhibited no significant inhibitory activity against the four cell lines. These findings suggested that 8,9-epi-chrodrimanins could serve as scaffold compounds for further structural modifications, potentially leading to the development of targeted therapies for gastric cancer. Full article
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23 pages, 10914 KiB  
Article
Development and Validation of a Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Screening Potential Citrate Lyase Inhibitors from a Library of Marine Compounds
by Jiahong Wang, Huashi Guan and Zhe Xu
Mar. Drugs 2024, 22(6), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/md22060245 - 27 May 2024
Viewed by 1455
Abstract
Tuberculosis, a persistent illness caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains a significant global public health challenge. The widespread use of anti-tuberculosis drugs has resulted in the emergence of drug-resistant strains, which complicates treatment efforts. Addressing this issue is crucial and hinges on the [...] Read more.
Tuberculosis, a persistent illness caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains a significant global public health challenge. The widespread use of anti-tuberculosis drugs has resulted in the emergence of drug-resistant strains, which complicates treatment efforts. Addressing this issue is crucial and hinges on the development of new drugs that can effectively target the disease. This involves identifying novel therapeutic targets that can disrupt the bacterium’s survival mechanisms in various environments such as granulomas and lesions. Citrate lyase, essential for the survival of Mycobacterium species at lesion sites and in granulomatous conditions, is a potential target for the treatment of tuberculosis. This manuscript aimed to construct an efficient enzyme inhibitor screening platform using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF MS). This system can accurately identify compounds with enzyme inhibitory activity from a library of marine terpenoids and phenolic compounds. Utilizing the screened herbal enzyme inhibitors as a starting point, we analyzed their chemical structures and skillfully built a library of marine compounds based on these structures. The results showed that all of the tested compounds from the phenolics library inhibited citrate lyase by more than 50%, and a significant portion of terpenoids also demonstrated inhibition, with these active terpenoids comprising over half of the terpenoids tested. The study underscores the potential of marine-derived phenolic and terpenoid compounds as potent inhibitors of citrate lyase, indicating a promising direction for future investigations in treating tuberculosis and associated disorders. Full article
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Review

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19 pages, 1009 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Research on Inhibitory Effects of Seaweed Extracts Against Parasites
by Wenbing Cheng, Xiangyang Yang, Dengfeng Yang, Ting Zhang, Liguang Tian, Jiahao Dao, Zheng Feng and Wei Hu
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(4), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23040171 - 16 Apr 2025
Viewed by 280
Abstract
Parasitic diseases pose a serious threat to the health of humans and the steady development of livestock husbandry. Although there are certain drug-based treatment methods, with the widespread application of drugs, various parasites are gradually developing drug resistance. Natural products are highly favored [...] Read more.
Parasitic diseases pose a serious threat to the health of humans and the steady development of livestock husbandry. Although there are certain drug-based treatment methods, with the widespread application of drugs, various parasites are gradually developing drug resistance. Natural products are highly favored by researchers due to their characteristics such as low toxicity, multi-target effects, and low risk of drug resistance. The ocean, as the largest treasure trove of biological resources on Earth, has a special ecosystem (high pressure, high salt, and low oxygen). This enables marine organisms to develop a large number of unique structures during their survival competition. So far, a variety of compounds, such as terpenoids, have been isolated from the algae. As potential drugs, these compounds have certain curative effects on various diseases, including tumors, parasitic diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and tuberculosis. This paper systematically reviews and analyzes the current advances in research on the antiparasite effects of seaweed extracts. The primary objective of this research is to formulate a conceptual foundation for marine pharmaceutical exploration, focusing on the creation of innovative marine-based medicinal compounds to overcome the emerging problem of parasite resistance to conventional treatments. Full article
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52 pages, 6096 KiB  
Review
Marine-Derived Diterpenes from 2019 to 2024: Structures, Biological Activities, Synthesis and Potential Applications
by Lin Zhang, Debao Li, Xuan Chen and Feng Zhao
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(2), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23020072 - 7 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1004
Abstract
Marine diterpenes are an important category of secondary metabolites derived from marine sources, found in a variety of marine animals, plants, and fungi. The increasing diversity of diterpene compounds, along with their unique chemical structures and specific biological activities, have attracted widespread attention. [...] Read more.
Marine diterpenes are an important category of secondary metabolites derived from marine sources, found in a variety of marine animals, plants, and fungi. The increasing diversity of diterpene compounds, along with their unique chemical structures and specific biological activities, have attracted widespread attention. These activities include anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antitumor, antibacterial effects, and therapeutic actions against cancer, with many already developed into clinical drugs. Additionally, as marine medicinal resources continue to be exploited over the long term, the natural resources of many marine diterpene compounds are diminishing, and the biosynthesis of key active components has become a hot topic of research. In this review, we summarize diterpene compounds discovered in the ocean over the past five years, reclassify these compounds, and summarize their structures, biological activities, biosynthesis, and potential applications of marine diterpenoids from 2019 to 2024. This review can provide a reference for the basic research and potential applications of marine-derived diterpene compounds. Full article
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