Biomol Ther.  2016 Jul;24(4):347-362. 10.4062/biomolther.2016.067.

Marine Sponges as a Drug Treasure

• Anjum K
• Abbas SQ
• Shah SA
• Akhter N
• Batool S
• Hassan SS

• KMID: 2351683
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4062/biomolther.2016.067

Abstract

Marine sponges have been considered as a drug treasure house with respect to great potential regarding their secondary metabolites. Most of the studies have been conducted on sponge's derived compounds to examine its pharmacological properties. Such compounds proved to have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antimalarial, antitumor, immunosuppressive, and cardiovascular activity. Although, the mode of action of many compounds by which they interfere with human pathogenesis have not been clear till now, in this review not only the capability of the medicinal substances have been examined in vitro and in vivo against serious pathogenic microbes but, the mode of actions of medicinal compounds were explained with diagrammatic illustrations. This knowledge is one of the basic components to be known especially for transforming medicinal molecules to medicines. Sponges produce a different kind of chemical substances with numerous carbon skeletons, which have been found to be the main component interfering with human pathogenesis at different sites. The fact that different diseases have the capability to fight at different sites inside the body can increase the chances to produce targeted medicines.

Keyword

Sponges; Pharmacokinetics; Antitumor; Antiviral; Pathogenesis; Microbes

MeSH Terms

Carbon
Humans
In Vitro Techniques
Pharmacokinetics
Porifera*
Skeleton
Carbon