Abstract
Since the middle of the last century, marine organisms have been identified as producers of chemically and biologically diverse secondary metabolites which have exerted various biological activities including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifouling and others. This review primarily focuses on the marine phenolic compounds and their derivatives with potent anticancer activity, isolated and/or modified in the last decade. Reports on the elucidation of their structures as well as biosynthetic studies and total synthesis are also covered. Presented phenolic compounds inhibited cancer cells proliferation or migration, at sub-micromolar or nanomolar concentrations (lamellarins D (37), M (38), K (39), aspergiolide B (41), fradimycin B (62), makulavamine J (66), mayamycin (69), N-acetyl-N-demethylmayamycin (70) or norhierridin B (75)). In addition, they exhibited anticancer properties by a diverse biological mechanism including induction of apoptosis or inhibition of cell migration and invasive potential. Finally, phlorotannins 1–7 and bromophenols 12–29 represent the most researched phenolic compounds, of which the former are recognized as protective agents against UVB or gamma radiation-induced skin damages. Finally, phenolic metabolites were assorted into six main classes: phlorotannins, bromophenols, flavonoids, coumarins, terpenophenolics, quinones and hydroquinones. The derivatives that could not be attributed to any of the above-mentioned classes were grouped in a separate class named miscellaneous compounds.
Highlights
Marine Natural Products as Anticancer AgentsThe malignant diseases have represented one of the greatest challenges to the modern society and health care systems, and have induced the extensive research and clinical investigations by both the pharmaceutical industry and the scientific community [1]
The National Cancer Institute has evaluated that only 0.01% of metabolites isolated from terrestrial sources exhibited cytotoxic effects against cancer cells that can be compared to approximately 1% from the aquatic systems [12]
The most recent study obtained by Özenver and co-workers demonstrated the potency and selective toxicity of 82 against leukemia and multiple myeloma cells with regard to normal cells mediated through apoptosis and necrosis, as well as tubulin disassembly [235]
Summary
The malignant diseases have represented one of the greatest challenges to the modern society and health care systems, and have induced the extensive research and clinical investigations by both the pharmaceutical industry and the scientific community [1]. The National Cancer Institute has evaluated that only 0.01% of metabolites isolated from terrestrial sources exhibited cytotoxic effects against cancer cells that can be compared to approximately 1% from the aquatic systems [12]. The latter can be explained by the presence of biological and chemical diversity of marine flora and fauna as a result of special and hard sea conditions, as well as external factors (pH, sunlight, temperature, salinity, predatory species) [11,13,14]. Their natural resource and metabolomic origins, isolation methodologies, synthesis alongside with in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities are summarized
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