Marine Drugs (Aug 2004)

Biomedical Compounds from Marine organisms

  • Rajeev Kumar Jha,
  • Xu Zi-rong

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/md203123
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 3
pp. 123 – 146

Abstract

Read online

The Ocean, which is called the ‘mother of origin of life’, is also the source of structurally unique natural products that are mainly accumulated in living organisms. Several of these compounds show pharmacological activities and are helpful for the invention and discovery of bioactive compounds, primarily for deadly diseases like cancer, acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS), arthritis, etc., while other compounds have been developed as analgesics or to treat inflammation, etc. The lifesaving drugs are mainly found abundantly in microorganisms, algae and invertebrates, while they are scarce in vertebrates. Modern technologies have opened vast areas of research for the extraction of biomedical compounds from oceans and seas.

Keywords