THE POTENTIAL OF MARINE COMPOUNDS IN ANTICANCER THERAPY

Abstract

Marine habitat has shown to be a fascinating source of chemicals with unique and exotic chemical properties that can be used to improve the efficiency and selectivity of therapies through molecular modelling and chemical synthesis of new medications.  New anticancer medications must be developed immediately because cancer is a growing public health concern, even with advancements in biomedical technology and research.  More than 60% of commercially available anticancer drugs are produced from natural biomimicry, and algae are now one of the primary sources of novel marine-derived chemicals, such as cytotoxic and antitumor substances. In both in vitro and in vivo settings, these compounds showed the capacity to modify certain inhibitory effects against a variety of important cellular events, such as angiogenesis, invasion, migration, and apoptosis pathways, indicating their potential as anticancer medications.  With particular attention to the alga as a source of cytotoxic chemicals, the current review addresses the bioactive algal compounds with anticancer activity, from their place of origin to their possible uses.