MARINE SPONGES AS A SOURCE OF NOVEL PHARMACEUTICALS

Abstract

Oceans are an important source of biological and chemical diversity and account for over 70 % of the surface of the earth and holding over 200,000 known species. They consist of various specific habitats featuring a broad range of pH, temperature, hydrostatic pressure, and salinity concentrations. Marine microorganisms have evolved a number of adaptations to live in such distinctive ecosystems, some of which include the synthesis of specific biomolecules. Therefore, the marine biological diversity possesses significant potential to yield bioactive compounds that do not exist in terrestrial ecosystems. Over the last few decades, the urgency to discover safe and effective drugs from nature becomes paramount, and it is imperative that new drug leads from under-exploited ecosystems should be investigated as sources of new therapeutic agents. Marine microorganisms are a treasure house of natural products of high bioactive activities. The extreme physical and chemical conditions of the marine environment and the hard competition for resources and predatory pressure have led to an increased production of a vast array of compounds in marine organisms, which are distinct from those found in terrestrial plants and are a reservoir of novel bioactive compounds with high pharmaceutical potential. Most of the studies indicated the promise of marine organisms in offering greater bioactive natural products than terrestrial organisms.