Search Results (40)

Diterpenoids from marine-derived organisms represent a prolific source of secondary metabolites, characterized by their exceptionally promising chemical structures and pronounced pharmacological properties. In recent years, marine diterpenoids have garnered considerable attention and are regarded as a prominent area of scientific research. As a vital class of metabolites, diterpenoids show diverse biological activities, encompassing antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, inhibitory, and cytotoxic activities, among others. With the rapid advancement of equipment and identified technology, there has been a tremendous surge in the discovery rate of novel diterpenoid skeletons and bioactivities derived from marine fungi over the past decade. The present review compiles the reported diterpenoids from marine fungal sources mainly generated from January 2000 to December 2024. In this paper, 515 diterpenoids from marine organisms are summarized. Among them, a total of 281 structures from various fungal species are included, comprising 55 from sediment, 39 from marine animals (predominantly invertebrates, including 17 from coral and 22 from sponges), and 53 from marine plants (including 34 from algae and 19 from mangrove). Diverse biological activities are exhibited in 244 compounds, and among these, 112 compounds showed great anti-tumor activity (45.90%) and 110 metabolites showed remarkable cytotoxicity (45.08%). Furthermore, these compounds displayed a range of diverse bioactivities, including potent anti-oxidant activity (2.87%), promising anti-inflammatory activity (1.64%), great anti-bacterial activity (1.64%), notable anti-thrombotic activity (1.23%), etc. Moreover, the diterpenoids’ structural characterization and biological activities are additionally elaborated upon. The present critical summary provides a comprehensive overview of the reported knowledge regarding diterpenoids derived from marine fungi, invertebrates, and aquatic plants. The systematic review presented herein offers medical researchers an extensive range of promising lead compounds for the development of marine drugs, thereby furnishing novel and valuable pharmaceutical agents. Full article

The increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in microorganisms is a significant global health concern. Various factors contribute to AMR, including alterations in cell membrane permeability, increased efflux pump activity, enzymatic modification or inactivation of antibiotics, target site changes, alternative metabolic pathways, and biofilm formation. Marine environments, with their extensive biodiversity, provide a valuable source of natural products with a wide range of biological activities. Marine-derived antimicrobial compounds show significant potential against drug-resistant bacteria and fungi. This review discusses the current knowledge on marine natural products such as microorganisms, sponges, tunicates and mollusks with antibacterial and antifungal properties effective against drug-resistant microorganisms and their ecological roles. These natural products are classified based on their chemical structures, such as alkaloids, amino acids, peptides, polyketides, naphthoquinones, terpenoids, and polysaccharides. Although still in preclinical studies, these agents demonstrate promising in vivo efficacy, suggesting that marine sources could be pivotal in developing new drugs to combat AMR, thereby fulfilling an essential medical need. This review highlights the ongoing importance of marine biodiversity exploration for discovering potential antimicrobial agents. Full article

Currently, there is an urgent need for new antibacterial and antifungal agents to combat the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance. As the largest ecosystem on Earth, the marine ecosystem includes a vast array of microorganisms (primarily bacteria and fungi), plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates, making it a rich source of various antimicrobial compounds. Notably, terpenoids, known for their complex structures and diverse bioactivities, are a significant and promising group of compounds in the battle against bacterial and fungal infections. In the past five years, numerous antimicrobial terpenoids have been identified from marine organisms such as bacteria, fungi, algae, corals, sea cucumbers, and sponges. This review article provides a detailed overview of 141 terpenoids with antibacterial and/or antifungal properties derived from marine organisms between 2019 and 2024. Terpenoids, a diverse group of natural organic compounds derived from isoprene units, are systematically categorized based on their carbon skeleton structures. Comprehensive information is provided about their names, structures, biological sources, and the extent of their antibacterial and/or antifungal effectiveness. This review aims to facilitate the rapid identification and development of prospective antimicrobials in the pharmaceutical sector. Full article

The marine Streptomyces harbor numerous biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) with exploitable potential. However, many secondary metabolites cannot be produced under laboratory conditions. Co-culture strategies of marine microorganisms have yielded novel natural products with diverse biological activities. In this study, we explored the metabolic profiles of co-cultures involving Streptomyces sp. 2-85 and Cladosporium sp. 3-22—derived from marine sponges. Combining Global Natural Products Social (GNPS) Molecular Networking analysis with natural product database mining, 35 potential antimicrobial metabolites annotated were detected, 19 of which were exclusive to the co-culture, with a significant increase in production. Notably, the Streptomyces-Fungus interaction led to the increased production of borrelidin and the discovery of several analogs via molecular networking. In this study, borrelidin was first applied to combat Saprolegnia parasitica, which caused saprolegniosis in aquaculture. We noted its superior inhibitory effects on mycelial growth with an EC₅₀ of 0.004 mg/mL and on spore germination with an EC₅₀ of 0.005 mg/mL compared to the commercial fungicide, preliminarily identifying threonyl-tRNA synthetase as its target. Further analysis of the associated gene clusters revealed an incomplete synthesis pathway with missing malonyl-CoA units for condensation within this strain, hinting at the presence of potential compensatory pathways. In conclusion, our findings shed light on the metabolic changes of marine Streptomyces and fungi in co-culture, propose the potential of borrelidin in the control of aquatic diseases, and present new prospects for antifungal applications. Full article

Extensive research has been conducted on the isolation and study of bioactive compounds derived from marine sources. Several natural products have demonstrated potential as inducers of apoptosis and are currently under investigation in clinical trials. These marine-derived compounds selectively interact with extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways using a variety of molecular mechanisms, resulting in cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation, cytoplasmic blebs, apoptotic bodies, and phagocytosis by adjacent parenchymal cells, neoplastic cells, or macrophages. Numerous marine-derived compounds are currently undergoing rigorous examination for their potential application in cancer therapy. This review examines a total of 21 marine-derived compounds, along with their synthetic derivatives, sourced from marine organisms such as sponges, corals, tunicates, mollusks, ascidians, algae, cyanobacteria, fungi, and actinobacteria. These compounds are currently undergoing preclinical and clinical trials to evaluate their potential as apoptosis inducers for the treatment of different types of cancer. This review further examined the compound’s properties and mode of action, preclinical investigations, clinical trial studies on single or combination therapy, and the prospective development of marine-derived anticancer therapies. Full article

Marine fungi, such as species from the Penicillium and Aspergillus genera, are prolific producers of a diversity of natural products with cytotoxic properties. These fungi have been successfully isolated and identified from various marine sources, including sponges, coral, algae, mangroves, sediment, and seawater. The cytotoxic compounds derived from marine fungi can be categorized into five distinct classes: polyketides, peptides, terpenoids and sterols, hybrids, and other miscellaneous compounds. Notably, the pre-eminent group among these compounds comprises polyketides, accounting for 307 out of 642 identified compounds. Particularly, within this collection, 23 out of the 642 compounds exhibit remarkable cytotoxic potency, with IC₅₀ values measured at the nanomolar (nM) or nanogram per milliliter (ng/mL) levels. This review elucidates the originating fungal strains, the sources of isolation, chemical structures, and the noteworthy antitumor activity of the 642 novel natural products isolated from marine fungi. The scope of this review encompasses the period from 1991 to 2023. Full article

Marine natural products are well-recognized as potential resources to fill the pipeline of drug leads to enter the pharmaceutical industry. In this circumstance, marine-derived fungi are one of the unique sources of bioactive secondary metabolites due to their capacity to produce diverse polyketides and peptides with unique structures and diverse biological activities. The present review covers the peptides from marine-derived fungi reported from the literature published from January 1991 to June 2023, and various scientific databases, including Elsevier, ACS publications, Taylor and Francis, Wiley Online Library, MDPI, Springer, Thieme, Bentham, ProQuest, and the Marine Pharmacology website, are used for a literature search. This review focuses on chemical characteristics, sources, and biological and pharmacological activities of 366 marine fungal peptides belonging to various classes, such as linear, cyclic, and depsipeptides. Among 30 marine-derived fungal genera, isolated from marine macro-organisms such as marine algae, sponges, coral, and mangrove plants, as well as deep sea sediments, species of Aspergillus were found to produce the highest number of peptides (174 peptides), followed by Penicillium (23 peptides), Acremonium (22 peptides), Eurotium (18 peptides), Trichoderma (18 peptides), Simplicillium (17 peptides), and Beauveria (12 peptides). The cytotoxic activity against a broad spectrum of human cancer cell lines was the predominant biological activity of the reported marine peptides (32%), whereas antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and various enzyme inhibition activities ranged from 7% to 20%. In the first part of this review, the chemistry of marine peptides is discussed and followed by their biological activity. Full article

Candida spp. are common opportunistic microorganisms in the human body and can cause mucosal, cutaneous, and systemic infections, mainly in individuals with weakened immune systems. Candida albicans is the most isolated and pathogenic species; however, multi-drug-resistant yeasts like Candida auris have recently been found in many different regions of the world. The increasing development of resistance to common antifungals by Candida species limits the therapeutic options. In light of this, the present review attempts to discuss the significance of marine natural products in controlling the proliferation and metabolism of C. albicans and non-albicans species. Natural compounds produced by sponges, algae, sea cucumber, bacteria, fungi, and other marine organisms have been the subject of numerous studies since the 1980s, with the discovery of several products with different chemical frameworks that can inhibit Candida spp., including antifungal drug-resistant strains. Sponges fall under the topmost category when compared to all other organisms investigated. Terpenoids, sterols, and alkaloids from this group exhibit a wide array of inhibitory activity against different Candida species. Especially, hippolide J, a pair of enantiomeric sesterterpenoids isolated from the marine sponge Hippospongia lachne, exhibited strong activity against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida glabrata. In addition, a comprehensive analysis was performed to unveil the mechanisms of action and synergistic activity of marine products with conventional antifungals. In general, the results of this review show that the majority of chemicals derived from the marine environment are able to control particular functions of microorganisms belonging to the Candida genus, which can provide insights into designing new anti-candidal therapies. Full article

This review article delves into the realm of furanosteroids and related isoprenoid lipids derived from diverse terrestrial and marine sources, exploring their wide array of biological activities and potential pharmacological applications. Fungi, fungal endophytes, plants, and various marine organisms, including sponges, corals, molluscs, and other invertebrates, have proven to be abundant reservoirs of these compounds. The biological activities exhibited by furanosteroids and related lipids encompass anticancer, cytotoxic effects against various cancer cell lines, antiviral, and antifungal effects. Notably, the discovery of exceptional compounds such as nakiterpiosin, malabaricol, dysideasterols, and cortistatins has revealed their potent anti-tuberculosis, antibacterial, and anti-hepatitis C attributes. These compounds also exhibit activity in inhibiting protein kinase C, phospholipase A2, and eliciting cytotoxicity against cancer cells. This comprehensive study emphasizes the significance of furanosteroids and related lipids as valuable natural products with promising therapeutic potential. The remarkable biodiversity found in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems offers an extensive resource for unearthing novel biologically active compounds, paving the way for future drug development and advancements in biomedical research. This review presents a compilation of data obtained from various studies conducted by different authors who employed the PASS software 9.1 to evaluate the biological activity of natural furanosteroids and compounds closely related to them. The utilization of the PASS software in this context offers valuable advantages, such as screening large chemical libraries, identifying compounds for subsequent experimental investigations, and gaining insights into potential biological activities based on their structural features. Nevertheless, it is crucial to emphasize that experimental validation remains indispensable for confirming the predicted activities. Full article

Five undescribed pentaketide derivatives, (R)-6,8-dihydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-3-methylidene-3,4-dihydro-1H-2-benzopyran-1-one (1), [(3S,4R)-3,8-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-4,5-dimethyl-1-oxo-3,4-dihydro-1H-isochromen-3-yl]methyl acetate (2), (R)-5, 7-dimethoxy-3-((S)-(1-hydroxyethyl)-3,4-dimethylisobenzofuran-1(3H)-one (4b), (S)-7-hydroxy-3-((S)-1-hydroxyethyl)-5-methoxy-3,4-dimethylisobenzofuran 1(3H)-one (5), and a p-hydroxyphenyl-2-pyridone derivative, avellaneanone (6), were isolated together with the previously reported (R)-3-acetyl-7-hydroxy-5-methoxy-3,4-dimethylisobenzofuran-1(3H)-one (3), (R)-7-hydroxy-3-((S)-1-hydroxyethyl)-5-methoxy-3,4-dimethylisobenzofuran-1(3H)-one (4a) and isosclerone (7), from the ethyl acetate extract of a culture of a marine sponge-derived fungus, Hamigera avellanea KUFA0732. The structures of the undescribed compounds were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR, as well as high-resolution mass spectral analyses. The absolute configurations of the stereogenic carbons in 1, 4b, 5, and 6 were established by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The absolute configurations of C-3 and C-4 in 2 were determined by ROESY correlations and on the basis of their common biosynthetic origin with 1. The crude fungal extract and the isolated compounds 1, 3, 4b, 5, 6, and 7 were assayed for their growth inhibitory activity against various plant pathogenic fungi viz. Alternaria brassicicola, Bipolaris oryzae, Colletotrichum capsici, C. gloeosporiodes, Curvularia oryzae, Fusarium semitectum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Phytophthora palmivora, Pyricularia oryzae, Rhizoctonia oryzae and Sclerotium rolfsii. Full article

Marine sponge-derived fungi have been proven to be a prolific source of bioactive natural products. Two new alkaloids, polonimides E (1) and D (2), and a new butenolide derivative, eutypoid F (11), were isolated from the Beibu Gulf sponge-derived fungus, Penicillium sp. SCSIO 41413, together with thirteen known compounds (3–10, 12–16). Their structures were determined by detailed NMR, MS spectroscopic analyses, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analyses. Butenolide derivatives 11 and 12 exhibited inhibitory effect against the enzyme PI3K with IC₅₀ values of 1.7 μM and 9.8 μM, respectively. The molecular docking was also performed to understand the inhibitory activity, while 11 and 12 showed obvious protein/ligand-binding effects to the PI3K protein. Moreover, 4 and 15 displayed obvious inhibitory activity against LPS-induced NF-κB activation in RAW264.7 cells at 10 µM. Full article

Cancer affects more than 19 million people and is the second leading cause of death in the world. One of the principal strategies used in cancer therapy is the inhibition of topoisomerase II, involved in the survival of cells. Side effects and adverse reactions limit the use of topoisomerase II inhibitors; hence, research is focused on discovering novel compounds that can inhibit topoisomerase II and have a safer toxicological profile. Marine organisms are a source of secondary metabolites with different pharmacological properties including anticancer activity. The objective of this review is to present and discuss the pharmacological potential of marine-derived compounds whose antitumor activity is mediated by topoisomerase II inhibition. Several compounds derived from sponges, fungi, bacteria, ascidians, and other marine sources have been demonstrated to inhibit topoisomerase II. However, some studies only report docking interactions, whereas others do not fully explain the mechanisms of topoisomerase II inhibition. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed, as well as a careful toxicological profile evaluation with a focus on cancer cell selectivity. Full article

Anthraquinones are an interesting chemical class of polyketides since they not only exhibit a myriad of biological activities but also contribute to managing ecological roles. In this review article, we provide a current knowledge on the anthraquinoids reported from marine-derived fungi, isolated from various resources in both shallow waters such as mangrove plants and sediments of the mangrove habitat, coral reef, algae, sponges, and deep sea. This review also tentatively categorizes anthraquinone metabolites from the simplest to the most complicated scaffolds such as conjugated xanthone–anthraquinone derivatives and bianthraquinones, which have been isolated from marine-derived fungi, especially from the genera Apergillus, Penicillium, Eurotium, Altenaria, Fusarium, Stemphylium, Trichoderma, Acremonium, and other fungal strains. The present review, covering a range from 2000 to 2021, was elaborated through a comprehensive literature search using the following databases: ACS publications, Elsevier, Taylor and Francis, Wiley Online Library, MDPI, Springer, and Thieme. Thereupon, we have summarized and categorized 296 anthraquinones and their derivatives, some of which showed a variety of biological properties such as enzyme inhibition, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antitubercular (against Mycobacterium tuberculosis), cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antifouling, and antioxidant activities. In addition, proposed biogenetic pathways of some anthraquinone derivatives are also discussed. Full article

Marine organisms have been shown to be a valuable source for biologically active compounds for the prevention and treatment of cancer, inflammation, immune system diseases, and other pathologies. The advantage of studying organisms collected in the marine environment lies in their great biodiversity and in the variety of chemical structures of marine natural products. Various studies have focused on marine organism compounds with potential pharmaceutical applications, for instance, as immunomodulators, to treat cancer and immune-mediated diseases. Modulation of the immune system is defined as any change in the immune response that can result in the induction, expression, amplification, or inhibition of any phase of the immune response. Studies very often focus on the effects of marine-derived compounds on macrophages, as well as lymphocytes, by analyzing the release of mediators (cytokines) by using the immunological assay enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot, immunofluorescence, and real-time PCR. The main sources are fungi, bacteria, microalgae, macroalgae, sponges, mollusks, corals, and fishes. This review is focused on the marine-derived molecules discovered in the last three years as potential immunomodulatory drugs. Full article

Marine life has proved to be an invaluable source of new compounds with significant bioactivities, such as xanthones. This review summarizes the advances made in the study of marine-derived xanthones from 2010 to 2021, from isolation towards synthesis, highlighting their biological activities. Most of these compounds were isolated from marine-derived fungi, found in marine sediments, and associated with other aquatic organisms (sponge and jellyfish). Once isolated, xanthones have been assessed for different bioactivities, such as antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic properties. In the latter case, promising results have been demonstrated. Considering the significant bioactivities showed by xanthones, efforts have been made to synthesize these compounds, like yicathins B and C and the secalonic acid D, through total synthesis. Full article