Marine Natural Products Research Papers (original) (raw)

Many industrially significant compounds have been derived from natural products in the environment. Research efforts so far have contributed to the discovery of beneficial natural products that have improved the quality of life on Earth. As one of the sources of natural products, marine sponges have been progressively recognised as microbial hotspots with reports of the sponges harbouring diverse microbial assemblages, genetic material, and metabolites with multiple industrial applications. Therefore, this paper aims at reviewing the recent literature (primarily published between 2016 and 2022) on the types and functions of natural products synthesised by sponge-associated microorganisms, thereby helping to bridge the gap between research and industrial applications. The metabolites that have been derived from sponge-associated microorganisms, mostly bacteria, fungi, and algae, have shown application prospects especially in medicine, cosmeceutical, environmental protection, and manufacturing industries. Sponge bacteria-derived natural products with medical properties harboured anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral functions. Efforts in re-identifying the origin of known and future sponge-sourced natural products would further clarify the roles and significance of microbes within marine sponges.

- by and +2
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- Natural Products Chemistry, Drug Discovery, Marine Natural Products, Natural Compounds

Inflammation is part of the organism's response to deleterious stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Macrophages orchestrate the inflammatory response obtaining different activation phenotypes broadly defined as M1 (pro-inflammatory) or M2 (homeostatic) phenotypes, which contribute to pathogen elimination or disease pathogenesis. The type and magnitude of the response of macrophages are shaped by endogenous and exogenous factors and can be affected by nutrients or therapeutic agents. Multiple studies have shown that natural products possess immunomodulatory properties and that marine algae contain products with such action. We have previously shown that disulfides isolated from Dictyopteris membranacea suppress nitric oxide (NO) production from activated macrophages, suggesting potential anti-inflammatory actions. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory mechanism of action of bis(5-methylthio-3-oxo-undecyl) disulfide (1), 5-methylthio-1-(3-oxo-undecyl) disulfanylundecan-3-one (2) and 3-hexyl-4,5-dithiocycloheptanone (3). Our results showed that all three compounds inhibited M1 activation of macrophages by down regulating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL-6 and IL-12, suppressed the expression of the NO converting enzyme iNOS, and enhanced expression of the M2 activation markers Arginase1 and MRC1. Moreover, disulfides 1 and 2 suppressed the expression of glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT3, suggesting that compounds 1 and 2 may affect cell metabolism. We showed that this was due to AKT/MAPK/ERK signaling pathway modulation and specifically by elevated AKT phosphorylation and MAPK/ERK signal transduction reduction. Hence, disulfides 1-3 can be considered as potent candidates for the development of novel anti-inflammatory molecules with homeostatic properties.

- by Maria G. Daskalaki
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- Marine Biology, Inflammation, Marine Natural Products

Marine invertebrates are known to contain metabolites with unprecedented diversity in terms of their molecular structures and bioactivities. The majority of the invertebrate phyla have been accounted for but only several studies on antioxidant activities have been made on Philippine sea stars. The main aim of this research is to determine the total flavonoids content, total phenolics content, and antioxidant activities of ethyl acetate and methanolic extract of Linckia laevigata and Acanthaster planci. Standard methods in plants were utilized to determine TFC and TPC while TEAC, DPPH, and FRAP assays were used to evaluate antioxidant activities. No flavonoids were detected in both species for the two solvents utilized while total phenolics were detected in both species and solvents utilized. Total phenolics were noted to be higher in methanol compared to ethyl acetate extract. A. planci also consistently recorded higher TPC for both solvents compared to L. laevigata. Consistently in DPPH and TEAC, A. planci had higher antioxidant capacity compared to L. laevigata for both solvents utilized. Overall, lower antioxidant capacities were observed for all three assays which could be due to the method of sample preparation, especially in the drying of samples which could have affected the natural antioxidants present in the body parts of the sea stars. It is recommended that conservation measures be implemented to protect these species which are a potential source of novel antioxidant compounds.

- by Angelo Mark P Walag and +1
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- Marine Ecology, Marine Natural Products, Antioxidants, Natural product chemisry

In this literature review, we present the knowledge as of January 31, 2022, about the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 sub-lineage BA.2. Here, we analyze Omicron BA.2 Sub-lineage S-protein mutations, the role in the infectivity and evasion of antibodies, compare it with the current Omicron sub-lineages, and the Variants of Concern-VOC-designated by WHO, and discuss their properties of biological concern differences.

Autoimmune diseases are still considered to be pressing concerns due the fact that they are leaders in death and disability causes worldwide. Resveratrol is a polyphenol derived from a variety of foods and beverages, including red grapes and red wine. Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiaging properties of resveratrol have been reported, and in some animal and human studies this compound reduced and ameliorated the progression of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, and type 1 diabetes mellitus. Thus, this review aims to summarize and critically analyze the role of resveratrol in the modulation of several organ-specific or systemic autoimmune diseases.

- by Marta Monteiro and +2
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- Natural Products, Natural Products Chemistry, Biological Activity Of Natural Products, Natural product Chemistry
- by BLUE SCREEN FUNNY FAIL
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- Marine Natural Products
- by Muhammad FadLi
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- Cancer Research, Marine Natural Products

Introduction : Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease accompanying memory deficits. The available pharmaceutical care has some limitations mostly entailing side effects, shelf-life, and patient’s compliance. The momentous implications of nutraceuticals in AD have attracted scientists. Several preclinical studies for the investigation of nutraceuticals have been conducted.
Areas covered : This review focuses on the potential use of a nutraceuticals-based therapeutic approach to treat and prevent AD. Increasing knowledge of AD pathogenesis has led to the discovery of new therapeutic targets including pathophysiological mechanisms and various cascades. Hence, the present contribution will attend to the most popular and effective nutraceuticals with proposed brief mechan- isms entailing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, autophagy regulation, mitochondrial homeostasis, and more. Therefore, even though the effectiveness of nutraceuticals cannot be dismissed, it is essential to do further high-quality randomized clinical trials.
Expert opinion: According to the potential of nutraceuticals to combat AD as multi-target directed drugs, there is critical importance to assess them as feasible lead compounds for drug discovery and development. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, modification of blood–brain barrier permeability, bioavailability, and features of randomized clinical trials should be considered in prospective studies.

- by Marjan Talebi
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- Neuroscience, Memory (Cognitive Psychology), Nutraceuticals, Dementia

Emesis, also known as nausea and vomiting, are common symptoms associated with ingestion of toxicants, drug side effects, advanced terminal diseases such as cancer and postoperative procedures. Emesis is mediated through the coordinated
action of central and peripheral regulatory centres that involve receptors including dopamine Type 2, serotonin, muscarinic cholinergic, histamine, cannabinoids and NK-1 receptors. Many anti-emetic drugs targeting these receptors are currently in
use but they also cause undesirable side effects such as excessive sedation, hypotension,dry mouth, dysphoria, hallucinations and extrapyramidal signs. This review highlights the pharmacological mechanism of emesis and current antiemtic drugs
together with detailed analysis of in vitro and in vivo anti-emetic bioassay models. The pharmacology of crude natural products extracts and purified anti-emeticcompounds (cannabinoids, chalcones, diarylheptanoids, flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic
acids, lignans, phenylpropanoids, polysaccharides, saponins, terpenes and glycosidic derivatives) are also systematically presented with their mechanism of action. The potential of natural products as sources of new clinically proven anti-emetic drugs are discussed.

- by Salman Ahmed
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- Natural Products, Natural Products Chemistry, Africa, Dog Behavior

As the search for new antibiotics continues, the resistance to known antimicrobial compounds continues to increase. Many researchers around the world, in response to antibiotics resistance, have continued to search for new antimicrobial compounds in different ecological niches such as the marine environment. Marine habitats are one of the known and promising sources for bioactive compounds with antimicrobial potentials against currently drug‐resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms. For more than a decade, numerous antimicrobial compounds have been discovered from marine environments, with many more antimicrobials still being discovered every year. So far, only very few compounds are in preclinical and clinical trials. Research in marine natural products has resulted in the isolation and identification of numerous diverse and novel chemical compounds with potency against even drug‐resistant pathogens. Some of these compounds, which mainly came from marine bacteria and fungi, have been classified into alkaloids, lactones, phenols, quinones, tannins, terpenes, glycosides, halogenated, polyketides, xanthones, macrocycles, peptides, and fatty acids. All these are geared towards discovering and isolating unique compounds with therapeutic potential, especially against multidrug‐resistant pathogenic microorganisms. In this review, we tried to summarize published articles from 2015 to 2019 on
antimicrobial compounds isolated from marine sources, including some of their chemical structures and tests performed against drug‐resistant pathogens.

- by Justus Nweze
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- Marine Biology, Natural Products, Natural Products Chemistry, Marine Ecology

Rhizophora mucronata is commonly known as mangrove growth in the tropical and subtropical region coastlines. It is a natural source of tannins and flavonoid. R. mucronata leaf has been used in the folk medicine for treating diarrhea or gastric motility disorder. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of R. mucronata leaf extract on ileum motility in rats. This study was intended to identify active compound from R. mucronata leaf by phytochemical screening. The characterization of tannins from R. mucronata leaf used reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Crude extract of leaf was evaluated on isolated rat ileum. Anti-motility effect of different concentrations (0.15-0.75%) of R.mucronata leaf extract was assessed on methacholine precontracted isolated ileum. An isolated ileum of rat was immersed in an organ bath which contained aerated Tyrode solution. The tissue was stimulated with methacholine (10-5 M) and its responses were recorded by Power Lab. Various concentrations of the extract (0.15%, 0.30%, 0.45%, 0.60% and, 0.75%) were applied to the tissue then the tissue's responses were recorded. The result showed that the extract relaxed or reduced the contractions of isolated rats ileum. Based on the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis, R. mucronata leaf extract contained catechin 47.428 ppm and epigallocatechin 3.150 ppm. The result indicated that the components of R. mucronata leaf had a potential use in the treatment of gastrointestinal motility such as diarrhea. The most effective concentration of R. mucronata leaf extract in decreasing motility of the ileum was 0.50%, reduced 51.52 (%) ± 10.85 motility of the ileum by direct action on smooth muscle cells.

Emesis encompasses the forceful expulsion of the contents of stomach via the mouth or sometimes the nose.
The adverse effects of currently available anti-emetic agents potentiate the natural product researchers to explore the
natural anti-emetics with fewer side effects. The presented communication constitutes a review on anti-emetic effect of
two hundred and forty five plants belonging to seventy-eight families found in different parts of the world. It also
outlined the anti-emetic effect of plant extracts and isolated secondary metabolites studied through a variety of animal
models of emesis. The reported anti-emetic plants in different countries and cultures and the scientific studies on extracts
may help in the identification of promising single chemical compound(s) that may be used as a potential leads for
developing safe anti-emetic agents in future. Moreover the reported secondary metabolites having the same effect may
open the door for the search of same secondary metabolites from other natural sources. This review will provide useful
information for the discovery of natural anti-emetic compounds and fill the gaps in knowledge.

- by Salman Ahmed and +1
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- Pharmacology, Latin American Studies, Egyptology, Ethnobotany

Mevcut doğal ürün kaynaklı terapötik maddelerin çoğu karasal kökene sahiptir. Bununla birlikte, deniz ortamı gibi yeni kaynakların araştırılması, kimyasal ve biyolojik yeniliklerin önünü açarken bu kaynakların kullanımı konusunda önemli gelişmeler görülmektedir. Deniz doğal ürünleri, kimyasal yenilik ve yapısal çeşitlilik açısından karasal doğal ürünlerden daha üstündür. Deniz genetik kaynakların (DGKların) incelenmesi ve kullanılması oldukça yeni bir faaliyettir ve örnekler nispeten azdır. Bu nedenle burada, bölgesel olarak kapsamlı ve kapsayıcı bir değerlendirme sunmak yerine, DGKların genel bir incelemesini sunulacaktır. Ayrıca, nükleik asit dizileri, deniz organizmaları tarafından üretilen kimyasal bileşikler ve deniz biyokütlesinden elde edilen rafine edilmemiş malzemeler içeren oldukça geniş bir deniz genetik kaynağı tanımı kullanılacaktır. DGKlar ve deniz biyolojik çeşitliliğinin en iyi bilinenleri, deniz organizmalarının en bol ve en erişilebilir olduğu ülkelerin hükümranlık alanlarında yoğunlaşmıştır. Ulusal yetki alanları dışında kalan açık denizler ve okyanus bölgelerinde bulunan DGKlar, çok daha az bilinmektedir. DGKlar, ilaç endüstrisi, kozmetik ürünleri, nütrasötik endüstrisi ve su ürünleri yetiştiriciliği (yeni yüksek değerli, yüksek besinler, sağlıklı gıdalar), biyomedikal ve diğer birçok sektörde ekonomik ve kültürel açıdan ve sürdürülebilirlik açısından önemlidir

Traditional Indian system of medicine like Siddha, Ayurveda uses various molluscan based medicines for treating various ailments like Jaundice, Gastro-intestinal disorders and other immunological clinical conditions. Molluscan shells are purified and subjected to various traditional calcinations processes. Almost all marine molluscan shells contain calcium carbonate as their major constituents. In the present study, Biogenic Calcium carbonate obtained from marine mollusk Cypreae moneta Linn. (Cowry shell) before and after calcinations were subjected to FTIR, FT-Raman and Powder X-ray diffraction studies. The before and after calcinations studies of cowry shells reveals a solid state phase transformation from thermodynamically less stable form of Aragonite Calcite, a thermodynamically more stable polymorphic form of Calcium carbonate.

- by Manikandan Rajarathinam and +1
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- Pharmacology, Inorganic Chemistry, Pharmacy, Siddha Medicine

Mikroalga banyak dimanfaatkan dalam bidang pertanian, obat-obatan, industri pangan dan sumber energi alternatif. Potensi mikroalga ini terkait dengan kandungan senyawa bahan alam yang dimilikinya, salah satu diantaranya adalah eksopoliskarida yang menunjukkan aktivitas antihiperglikemia dan antivirus. Mikroalga dapat dijumpai hidup bebas di perairan atau hidup bersimbiosis dengan inangnya. Biota laut yang memiliki karakteristik unik sebagai inang mikroalga adalah sponga. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk melakukan eksplorasi senyawa eksopoliskarida dari isolat mikroalga yang bersimbiosis dengan sponga di wilayah perairan Teluk Lampung. Isolasi mikroalga dari sponga dilakukan dengan metode dilusi dan seleksi fase pertumbuhan. Kultivasi mikroalga dilakukan pada suhu 25oC pada media f/2 Guilard dan f/2-Si. Ekstraksi eksopolisakarida menggunakan etanol, dilakukan terhadap supernatan dari sentrifugasi kultur. Kadar eksopolisakarida dan karakterisasi secara berurutan ditentukan dengan metode kolorimetri dan spektroskopi-IR. Dua sampel sponga yang diperoleh merupakan famili chalinidae dan didapatkan enam isolat mikroalga (LD082A, LD082B, LD083A, LD071A, LD081B, LD083B) dari hasil isolasi terhadap kedua sampel. Hasil ekstraksi eksopoliskarida dari tiga isolat mikroalga terpilih (LD071A, LD082A dan LD083) memberikan kadar gula masing-masing, 95 mg/L, 238 mg/L, 170 mg/L. Karakterisasi eksopoliskarida dari ketiga isolat dengan spektroskopi-IR tidak menunjukkan adanya variasi gugus fungsional yang spesifik dari masing-masing EPS. Spektrum dari ketiganya menunjukkan pola serapan yang sama yaitu adanya uluran O-H, N-H dan vibrasi ikatan C-O yang merupakan karakteristik serapan dari gugus fungsi pada eksopolisakarida. Berdasarkan hasil yang diperoleh dapat disimpulkan bahwa isolat mikroalga simbion sponga dari perairan Teluk Lampung memiliki potensi sebagai sumber senyawa eksopolisakarida laut.

- by Laida Mulyani
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- Marine Natural Products

Natural products have been an integral part of sustaining civilizations because of their medicinal properties. Past discoveries of bioactive natural products have relied on serendipity, and these compounds serve as inspiration for the generation of analogs with desired physicochemical properties. Bioactive natural products with therapeutic potential are abundantly available in nature and some of them are beyond exploration by conventional methods. The effectiveness of computational approaches as versatile tools for facilitating drug discovery and development has been recognized for decades, without exception, in the case of natural products. In the post-genomic era, scientists are bombarded with data produced by advanced technologies. Thus, rendering these data into knowledge that is interpretable and meaningful becomes an essential issue. In this regard, computational approaches utilize the existing data to generate knowledge that provides valuable understanding for addressing current problems and guiding the further research and development of new natural-derived drugs. Furthermore, several medicinal plants have been continuously used in many traditional medicine systems since antiquity throughout the world, and their mechanisms have not yet been elucidated. Therefore, the utilization of computational approaches and advanced synthetic techniques would yield great benefit to improving the world’s health population and well-being.

- by Veda Prachayasittikul and +2
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- Data Mining, Natural Products, Natural Products Chemistry, Biological Activity Of Natural Products

Marine environments offer plenty of resources and varieties of natural products for human benefits; researches on marine carbohydrates are constantly increasing to discover their novel properties to utilize in various industrial applications (Fig. 1). A carbohydrate is a biological molecules consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms with the empirical formula of Cn H2n On. In general, based on the degree of polymerization, they are classified as mono and disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides (Edwards and Garcia 2009). Marine carbohydrates can be classified based on their source of isolation (marine animal, plant and microbes) and they are considered as an extraordinary source of chemical diversity for drug discovery (Laurienzo 2010). In addition, research on marine carbohydrates are showed an increasing manner to utilize their valuable properties to various industrial applications including cosmetics, food and agriculture, pharmaceutical, nanotechnology, biotechnology and microbiology, industrial effluent treatment, etc. In this context, the present study has discussed the recent advancement and application of carbohydrates derived from the marine sources (Microbial, Plant and Animals).

- by Inbakandan Dhinakarasamy and +1
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- Aquaculture, Marine Natural Products, Marine BioTechnology, Bioactive carbohydrates

In the context of general chemistry we rarely pay attention to the different isotopes of the individual elements involved in a reaction. For instance, the molecular mass of tribromomethane, CHBr3, is usually calculated as 252.73 g mol–1 on the basis of relative atomic mass from the Periodic Table. In mass spectrometry, however, we need to more accurately consider individual isotopes, because mass spectrometry is based upon the separation of ions by mass-to-charge ratio, m/z. [1-3]. Thus, there actually is no signal at m/z 252.73 in the mass spectrum of tribromomethane. Instead, major peaks occur at m/z 250, 252, 254, and 256 accompanied by some minor other ones. In order to successfully interpret a mass spectrum, one needs to understand iso-topic masses and their relation to the atomic weights, isotopic abundances, and the resulting isotopic patterns, and finally, high-resolution and accurate mass measurements.
These issues are closely related to each other, offer a wealth of analytical information, and are valid for any type of mass spectrometer and any ionization method employed.

- by Dan Hdz
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- Mass Spectrometry, Marine Natural Products

Over population of marine sea urchins (Diadema setosum) may disrupt the growth of Crustose coralline causing the reduction of coral reefs growth. Consumption of Diadema setosum gonads as the alternative food may assists to preserve the balance of coral reefs ecosystem. The Objective of this study was to measure and evaluate the nutrient content of the gonad of Diadema setosum. Mass spectrophotometer was used to measure vitamin and albumin contents, Kjeldahl methods for protein content, and Atomization method for trace elements (Fe, Mg, and Zn) content. The presence of active compounds such as steroids, amino acids and antioxidants were identified by thin-layer chromatograph (TLC). Protein, albumin, vitamin A, vitamin E and trace elements (Fe, Mg, and Zn) were found in the gonad of Diadema setosum. Vitamin E (23.47 mg) was the highest nutrient content compared to other nutrient elements. The extracts of the gonad of Diadema setosum were found to have steroid, amino acids and antioxidant compounds. Overall, nutrient contents and active compounds in the gonad of Diadema setosum are essential components needed for immune system, therefore besides its potency as alternative food source, gonad of Diadema setosum has potency to become the source of immune-nutrient.

- by La Ode Muhammad Yasir Haya
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- Marine Natural Products

English version of the manuscript: Mutaciones del SARS-CoV-2; Estructura e Implicaciones. Revisión de Literatura.

- by PHARMANEST JOURNAL
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- Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Cancer, Cancer Biology

Marine ecosystem comprises of microorganisms, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates which were rich source of diverse antimicrobial products, which were structurally unique belonging to a known class of macromolecules like peptides, terpenes, alkaloids and proteins, etc. Natural macromolecules from marine ecological niches are a promising source of antibacterial agents against several drug resistant strains of pathogenic microorganisms; whereas rest of the metabolites were derived from marine flora and fauna while some arise from microbes associated with living organisms. N30,000 natural macromolecules have been identified and reported from marine organisms, however only few macromolecules are being explored and validated. The discovery of marine antibacterial macromolecules plays a significant part in the field of drug discovery and biomedical research. Despite the fact that literatures were documented on the antifungal, antiviral, antimalarial and anticancer properties, this review exclusively highlights the different antibacterial natural macromolecules from marine sources like bacteria, fungi, sponge, algae, bryozoans, tunicates, corals, cnidarians, arthropods and echinoderm along with their mode of action.

- by Angelica Ribeiro Soares
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- Biology, Brazil, Marine Natural Products, Aedes aegypti

The occurrence and bioactivities of marine-derived fungi are evaluated in this paper. A total of 16 morphospecies of marine-derived fungi (MDF) were isolated from four host macroalgae and two seagrasses and identified as belonging to the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Sclerotinia, Thamnidium and Trichoderma, including five mycelia sterilia. Among these host organisms, the rhodophyte Laurencia intermedia harboured the highest number of isolated MDF. Selected MDF were then assayed and showed to inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8-19 mm zone of inhibition) and Staphylococcus aureus (6-19 mm zone of inhibition), and were cytotoxic against the brine shrimp Artemia salina nauplii (LD 50 : 201.56-948.37 µg mL-1). The screening led to the selection of five of the most bioactive morphospecies, all belonging to the genus Aspergillus. These marine aspergilli were subjected to β-tubulin gene sequence analysis for species identification, and to mass production in different culture media with or without marine salts, and screening of the crude culture extracts for their cytotoxic and trypanocidal activities. Aspergillus tubingensis cultivated in potato dextrose broth with marine salt proved to be the most cytotoxic against P388 (IC 50 : 1028 ng mL-1) and HeLa (IC 50 : 1301 ng mL-1) cancer cells. On the other hand, A. fumigatus cultivated in malt extract broth without marine salt was shown to be the most potent against Trypanosoma congolense (IC 50 : 298.18 ng mL-1). Our study therefore showed that salinity may influence the bioactivities of some species of MDF.

Over the past seven decades, particularly since the discovery of the first marine-derived nucleosides, spongothymidine and spongouridine, from the Caribbean sponge Cryptotethya crypta in the early 1950s, marine natural products have emerged as unique, renewable and yet under-investigated pools for discovery of new drug leads with distinct structural features, and myriad interesting biological activities. Marine sponges are the most primitive and simplest multicellular animals, with approximately 8900 known described species, although more than 15,000 species are thought to exist worldwide today. These marine organisms potentially represent the richest pipeline for novel drug leads. Mycale (Arenochalina) and Clathria are recognized marine sponge genera belonging to the order Poecilosclerida, whereas Biemna was more recently reclassified, based on molecular genetics, as a new order Biemnida. Together, these sponge genera contribute to the production of physiologically active molecular entities with diverse structural features and a wide range of medicinal and therapeutic potentialities. In this review, we provide a comprehensive insight and up-to-date literature survey over the period of 1976–2018, focusing on the chemistry of the isolated compounds from members of these three genera, as well as their biological and pharmacological activities, whenever available.

- by John N . A . Hooper
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- Marine Natural Products
- by La Ode Muhammad Yasir Haya
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- Marine Natural Products

The Delta variant (B.1.617.2), which was first detected in India, it already accounts for almost 13% of infections in some Southern states, like Texas and Louisiana, more than 17% percent of infections in some Northeastern states, like New York and New Jersey, and more than 25% of infections in some Western states, like Utah, Montana, Colorado (CDC press release. June 14th 2021).
The Lambda variant (E.37) detected in Perú on August 2020 is assumed the cause of the 81% of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Perú and nearly 30% in Chile, Argentina and Ecuador with presence in 29 countries around the world (OMS press release. June 15th 2021).
Therefore, and to make knowledge about B.1.617 and B.1.618, I conducted a non-systematic review of the EBSCO, PUBMED, Cochrane Library, Google Academic and ScienceDirect databases in addition to internationally recognized media, about the published on these variants and their mutations of biological concern as of April 30th 2021, updated on June 20th 2021 due to B.1.617.2 and E.37 -Delta and Lambda- variants boosting.

- by Atallah Ahmed
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- Marine Natural Products

Iron deficiency anaemia includes the highest incidence of nutritional deficiency diseases in the world. Red cell indices on full blood counts is regularly used to diagnose early anaemia. Currently strategies medicines of iron deficiency anaemia are belonged to preventif medicine as well as fortification of food and iron supplementation directly to the body. Recent studies show the effectiveness of treatment of iron deficiency anaemia in rats with squid ink. This study aim is to analyse the iron content of squid ink (Sepioteuthis lessoniana) and squid ink effects on haematological profile of male Wistar rat Rattus norvegicus. The measured iron content of squid ink (Sepioteuthis lessoniana) is 2,14 ± 0,46 mg/g. Rats were used in this study, are induced NaNO 2 (50 mg/kgbw (1 ml dosing volume)) at first, then divided into 4 groups experiment for 14 days experimental. The 1 st group is negative control (without any treatment), 2 nd group is positive control (with Sangobion ®), 3 rd group is given a low dosage of squid ink (10 mg/kgbw/day) and the last 4 th group is given a high dosage of squid ink (100 mg/kgbw/day). Based on the result, there was an effect of given squid ink to the haemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, mean haemoglobin content, red blood cell distribution width and red blood cell count of rats that showed by increasing numbers to the end of the Original Research Article Pringgenies et al.; ARRB, 35(1): 39-49, 2020; Article no.ARRB.55320 40 experiment compared to the negative control (1 st group). The most significant effect is in haemoglobin, especially Hb of rats which appeared on the low dosage of squid ink group and positive control group to the negatif group (p<0,05).

- by Delianis Pringgenies and +1
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- Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Marine Microbiology, Pharmacognosy

Despite the significant presence of women in seaweed production in Indonesia, most of the data collected in official statistics fail to capture their participation. These data gaps reinforce the policy neglect of gender issues in seaweed culture that also affects strategy to increase seaweed production and quality. This study examines the role of women and men in seaweed production in Nusa Tenggara Timur Province, Indonesia. The case study took place in three districts (Alor, Rote and Kupang districts) which represent the production area of seaweed in NusaTenggaraTimur (NTT). The study presents the different characteristics of producers, including their socioeconomic classes, and ethnic groups. A value chain analysis was used to provide insights and to help develop strategies to improve women'scontributions to increasing seaweed production. The results demonstrate that men and women contribute similar amounts of labour to most processes in seaweed production in NTT. Therefore, to address issues of improving production and quality, women and men farmers need comprehensive basic and upgraded skills to reduce post-harvest losses. The involvement of both genders in seaweed farming needs recognition and both need to be taken seriously in the planning, and implementation of initiatives in order to improve production and quality.

- by r f and +1
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- Gender, Community-based enterprise for poverty alleviation, Value chain analysis, Small scale fisheries

Aims: Bring together national and international researchers in the area of natural products, from universities and research organizations, in order to disseminate the results of research in the area.
The Symposium includes the presentation of plenary lectures on the modalities of invited-lecture, short lecture and plenary conference, with national and international speakers.
In addition there will be poster session in the following subjects:
- Chemistry of Natural Products.
- (Ethno) botany (ethno) pharmacology.
- Medicinal Chemistry
- Industrial applications
- Ecological Chemistry
- Biological Activities
- Biotechnology
- Metabolomics
- Toxicology (ecotoxicology, genotoxicity, etc)
Target audiences:
- Researchers / academics from universities and public and private entities.
- Researchers at research institutes (public and private)
- Postdoctoral Students - Graduate Students (PhD and Master) - Undergraduates
- Entrepreneurs - General public

- by Leonardo Cespedes and +1
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- Plant Ecology, Natural Products, Medicinal Chemistry, Natural Products Chemistry
- by Hugo Valdebenito
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- Organic Chemistry, Marine Natural Products, Red Algae
- by Murat Sengül
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- Botany, Inorganic Chemistry, Natural Products Chemistry, Plant Biology

Many types of macroalgae contain a wide range of bioactive compounds that have antioxidant potential. However, in contrast to terrestrial plants, only a few studies have reported the antioxidant activity of seaweeds. Therefore, extracts from 26 marine macroalgae species from the south and southeast coasts of Brazil were evaluated for their antioxidant activity, using the 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) method and β-carotene/linoleic acid assay, and their total phenolic contents, through Folin–Ciocalteu method. Padina gymnospora, Sargassum vulgare, and Osmundaria obtusiloba presented the highest values of total phenolic con- tent. Using β-carotene bleaching assay, Colpomenia sinuosa, Dictyota sp., Dichotomaria marginata, Ganonema farinosum, and Spyridia clavata presented up to 65 % of antioxidant activity. Some of the extracts showed more than 60 % of inhibition of DPPH in the lowest concentration (0.01 mg/mL),including Amansia sp., Bostrychia tenella, Cryptonemia semi- nervis, Hypnea musciformis, Plocamium brasiliense (1), and S. clavata. Both Amansia sp., and C. seminervis presented the most relevant antioxidant potential, with percentage of inhi- bition greater than 70 % in the three tested concentrations. These two species were then analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and were selected for guided fractionation bioassay. They both presented lipid compounds, fatty acids, esters of fatty acids, triglycerides, and sterols as major components. The fractionation of extracts revealed that the organic fractions were responsible for the antioxidant activity. The results obtained through this work indicate that the analyzed seaweeds are a promising source of compounds with high antioxidant potential.

Dengue is considered a serious public health problem in many tropical regions of the world including Brazil. At the moment, there is no viable alternative to reduce dengue infections other than controlling the insect vector, Aedes aegypti Linnaeus. In the continuing search for new sources of chemicals targeted at vector control, natural products are a promising alternative to synthetic pesticides. In our work, we investigated the toxicity of a bioactive compound extracted from the red alga Laurencia dendroidea J. Agardh. The initial results demonstrated that crude extracts, at a concentration of 5 ppm, caused pronounced mortality of second instar A. aegypti larvae. Two molecules, identified as (´)-elatol and (+)-obtusol were subsequently isolated from crude extract and further evaluated. Assays with (´)-elatol showed moderate larvicidal activity, whereas (+)-obtusol presented higher toxic activity than (´)-elatol, with a LC 50 value of 3.5 ppm. Histological analysis of the larvae exposed to (+)-obtusol revealed damage to the intestinal epithelium. Moreover, (+)-obtusol-treated larvae incubated with 2 µM CM-H 2 DCFDA showed the presence of reactive oxygen species, leading us to suggest that epithelial damage might be related to redox imbalance. These results demonstrate the potential of (+)-obtusol as a larvicide for use against A. aegypti and the possible mode of action of this compound.

- by Angelica Ribeiro Soares and +1
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- Marine Natural Products, Marine Biotechnolgy

Harmful substances like metals ultimately end in the seafloor and contaminate marine ecosystems. These substances are of particular concern due to their bioavailability and toxicity to marine organisms. In this study, metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn, and Cu) were determined in the body wall of common sea star L. laevigata, and A. planci collected from Carmen, Agusan del Norte, Philippines. The metal content in terms of concentration of L. laevigata follows the order Pb > Cu > Cd > Cr > Zn while for A. planci is Pb > Cu > Cr > Zn > Cd. Both species were found to consistently contain the most lead and copper, which could suggest bioaccumulation of these elements from the environment. It is believed that these metals were sourced from the sediments or their food and are accumulated in their body wall. The differences in metal content for Pb and Cd were believed to be due to the difference in the diet for the two species. Comparable metal content was found in Cd, Cr, and Zn. It is recommended that further studies are conducted, especially in monitoring the metal content in the sediment and bioaccumulation of these metals in different trophic levels.

The edible portion of sea cucumber, body
walls, is a source of natural bioactive compounds. Triterpene
saponins are the main chemical constituents in sea
cucumber that have potential interest for the body health
and food industry. Twenty-one lanostane-type non-sulphated
triterpene glycosides were isolated from the methanol/
methylene chloride extract of the body walls of Bohadschia
cousteaui. Ten new saponins called coustesides A (1),
B (3), C (9), D (10), E (11), F (12), G (15), H (16), I (17)
and J (18), including two pentasaccharide and eight hexasaccharide
saponins, together with eleven known triterpene
glycosides, were isolated by reversed-phase semi-preparative
HPLC. Their structures were mainly determined
by 1D- and 2D-NMR (1H, 13C, COSY, TOCSY, HSQC,
HMBC and ROESY) as well as MS experiments and acid
hydrolysis. Most of the isolated compounds showed good
antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Moreover,
sea cucumber B. cousteaui is a rich source of biologically
active saponins. Therefore, sea cucumbers are eaten for their therapeutic values as a functional food than for their
seafood taste.

Natural products once served humankind as the source of all
drugs, and higher plants provided most of these therapeutic agents.
Natural products continue to provide useful drugs in their own
right but also provide templates for the development of other
compounds. A major advantage of natural products approach to
drug delivery is that it is capable of providing complex molecules
that is not accessible by other routes. Among CNS disorders,
neurodegenerative disorders affects majority of population
worldwide. Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's
disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease
(HD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are currently
incurable pathologies with huge social and economic impacts
closely related to the increasing of life expectancy in modern
times. Although the clinical and neuropathological aspects of these
debilitating disorders are distinct, they share a pattern of
neurodegeneration in anatomically or functionally related regions.
The majority of the compounds examined to date with a direct
relevance to AD are primarily from plants, from animal, marine
and microbial sources. Successful drugs achieved so far are found
to act by inhibiting acetyl cholinesterase enzyme. In future, more
emphasis should be given in finding new targets for AD therapies.
The review focuses on the natural products that might underlie the
purported beneficial improvements in memory and cognition,
neurovascular function, and in neuroprotection. It may be
concluded that natural product chemistry brings tremendous
diversity and historical precedent to a huge area of unmet medical
need. Cooperative effort from all the technical disciplines related
to drug discovery should be continued to make plant-derived
natural product research an essential contributor in future.

- by Angelica Ribeiro Soares
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- Marine Natural Products

Caribbean gorgonian corals of the genus Briareum (Cnidaria, Gorgonaceae) have proven to be an important source of bioactive secundary metabolites.
The gorgonian produces mainly three type of diterpenes: asbestinins, briarellins and briareins. Briarellins A-R and briarellin-peroxydes D and K are the fist and unique compounds with the Briarellin-type carbon skeleton isolated from a Caribbean marine organism.
This highly tunctionalized diterpenes are members of 2,11-cyclized family of marine secondary metabolites, which biogenetic pathway is proposed derived by sequential oxidative cyclizations and 1,2-methyl shift migration from the cembrane carbon skeleton.
In this work the NMR properties of the briarellins and a comparison with
those of two types of bnarellins and with the carbon skeleton of the asbestinins is presented.
The concerted and extensive application of 1-D and 2-D NMR techniques showed the four sub-spin systems and their connectivity to construct
the Briarellane carbon-skeleton.
A carefully comparison of 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectra of the two types of briarellins with those of the asbestinins shows is possible to assign the type of carbon skeleton and the stereochemistry around the chiral centers of the molecule.

In this literature review, we present the knowledge as of December 31, 2021, about the SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron. Here, we analyze its mutations in the S-protein, the role in the infectivity and evasion of antibodies, compare it with the current Variants of Biological Concern-VOC-designated by WHO, discuss the symptoms of the disease they produce, and the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines currently being administered around the world.
An extensive review of publications was carried out in organizations such as WHO, EMA, Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom, institutional and public databases such as RSCB-Protein Data Bank, NCBI (PubMed, PMC), PubChem, Science Direct and institutions such as CDC, NIH, FDA, SA HDZA, ClinicalTrials and news media around the world.

- by Oscar Cobar
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- Genetics, Computational Chemistry, Pharmacogenomics, Natural Products Chemistry

The meroditerpenoids atomaric acid (1), epitaondiol (2) and the peroxylactone of 5¢a-desmethyl-5¢-acetylatomaric acid (3) were isolated from the Brazilian brown alga Stypopodium zonale col- lected in two localities (B􏰁zios and Marataízes, RJ and ES States). These compounds showed strong anti-HSV-1 activity in vitro but neither of them inhibited the trasncriptase reverse enzyme of HIV-1.

- by Angelica Ribeiro Soares
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- Marine Natural Products
- by Oscar Cobar
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- Marine Natural Products
- by Joel De Paula
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- Marine Natural Products, Diterpenes

We evaluated the antiviral activity of the marine alga, Ulva fasciata, collected from Rasa beach and Forno beach, Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the replication of human metapneumovirus (HMPV). The algae extracts were prepared using three different methodologies to compare the activity of different groups of chemical composites obtained through these different methodologies. Four out of the six extracts inhibited nearly 100% of viral replication. The results demonstrated that the majority of the extracts (five out of six) possess virucidal activity and therefore have the ability to interact with the extracellular viral particles and prevent the infection. On the other hand, only two extracts (from Forno beach, obtained by maceration and maceration of the decoction) were able to interact with cell receptors, hindering the viral entry. Finally, only the extract of algae collected at Forno beach, obtained by maceration presented intracellular activity. To our knowledge, this is a pi...

On April 16th, 2021, the Indian Ministry of Health announce on a press conference that the B.1.617 SARS-CoV-2 variant is driving the current wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality for COVID-19.
The first B.1.617 genome in the global database (GISAID) dates back to October 5th 2020.
Based on genome information, B.1.617 was first detected in the United Kingdom on February 22th 2021, in the United States on 23 Feb 2021 and it has been identified by the genome data submitted by 21 countries as of April 19th 2021 (Science Media Centre, Ap 19th 2021).
The variant is characterized by possessing fifteen mutations and amino acid deletions including those of biological concern E484Q and L452R, so it was commonly called the "Double Mutant".
Both mutations have already been identified in other SARS-CoV-2 variants; E484Q variation of E484K in B.1.351 (South African) and P.1 (Brazilian), while L452R on B.1.427/1.1.429 (Californian).
In addition, the "Triple Mutant" is reported two days later and classified as B.1.618.
B.1.618 in addition possess P614R, a variation of the well-known D614G mutation, which characterized the variant that evolved from the original Wuhan strain and is currently found in all variants circulating worldwide, except for B.1.1.7 (UK) which only possesses N501Y as a biological concern mutation.
Therefore, and to make knowledge about B.1.617 and B.1.618, I conducted a non-systematic review of the EBSCO, PUBMED, Cochrane Library, Google Academic and ScienceDirect databases in addition to internationally recognized media, publications on these variants and their mutations of biological concern as of April 30th 2021.