8 Shikimate-Derived Compounds . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 134
9 Lipids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
10 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
1 Introduction
Natural products play a major role in the discovery of lead compounds for the
development of drugs to treat human diseases [1]. Marine ecosystems, covering
almost 70% of the earth’s surface, represent an important source of chemical and
biological diversity [2], and have already contributed to the development of new
drugs such as Trabectedin
® , an antitumor alkaloid for the treatment of soft tissue
sarcoma and ovarian cancer obtained from the tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata;
Eribulin
® , a macrolide to treat metastatic breast cancer derived from halichondrin
B found in sponges of the genus Halichondria; and Vidarabine
® , an antiviral
nucleoside against herpes simplex virus isolated from the Caribbean sponge Tethya
crypta, just to name a few [3]. Whereas marine natural product research had in the
beginning focused mainly on marine macroorganisms such as algae, sponges,
tunicates, and others as sources of new bioactive compounds, recent years have
seen a growing emphasis on marine microorganisms as potential sources of new
drug leads. This is exemplified by salinosporamide A (produced by the marine
bacteria Salinispora tropica and S. arenicola) as an inhibitor of the proteasome
and plinabulin (a synthetic analogue of halimide obtained from the seaweed fungus
Aspergillus) as an inhibitor of tubulin polymerization [3]. In addition to marinederived bacteria, marine-derived fungi are gaining considerable attention due to their
capability of producing structurally unique bioactive secondary metabolites [4, 5].
The population of China has been using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM),
inclusive of medicinal plants, animals, and minerals, to treat various kinds of
diseases for thousands of years. Prof. Youyou Tu was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine in 2015 for her contribution to the discovery of artemisinin
for the treatment of malaria, representing a great achievement of natural product
research in China [6]. In the 1980s, Prof. Kanghou Long, the pioneer of marine
natural product research in China, reported methyl isosartortuoate, a novel
tetracyclic tetraterpenoid from the soft coral Sarcophyton tortuosum, and
subergorgic acid, a novel tricyclopentanoid cardiotoxin from the gorgonian
Subergorgia suberosa [7, 8]. This marked the start of marine natural product
research in China even though the pace of this field of Chinese science was still
slow for the next two decades to come. Since the beginning of the new millennium,
however, more and more Chinese scientists have turned their attention to marine
natural product research. Recent reviews regarding the temporal and geographic
distribution of marine natural products have highlighted the rise of marine natural
product research in China and the substantial increase in discoveries of new marine
natural products from marine microorganisms over time [9–11].
82
Z. Liu et al.
9 Lipids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
10 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
1 Introduction
Natural products play a major role in the discovery of lead compounds for the
development of drugs to treat human diseases [1]. Marine ecosystems, covering
almost 70% of the earth’s surface, represent an important source of chemical and
biological diversity [2], and have already contributed to the development of new
drugs such as Trabectedin
® , an antitumor alkaloid for the treatment of soft tissue
sarcoma and ovarian cancer obtained from the tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata;
Eribulin
® , a macrolide to treat metastatic breast cancer derived from halichondrin
B found in sponges of the genus Halichondria; and Vidarabine
® , an antiviral
nucleoside against herpes simplex virus isolated from the Caribbean sponge Tethya
crypta, just to name a few [3]. Whereas marine natural product research had in the
beginning focused mainly on marine macroorganisms such as algae, sponges,
tunicates, and others as sources of new bioactive compounds, recent years have
seen a growing emphasis on marine microorganisms as potential sources of new
drug leads. This is exemplified by salinosporamide A (produced by the marine
bacteria Salinispora tropica and S. arenicola) as an inhibitor of the proteasome
and plinabulin (a synthetic analogue of halimide obtained from the seaweed fungus
Aspergillus) as an inhibitor of tubulin polymerization [3]. In addition to marinederived bacteria, marine-derived fungi are gaining considerable attention due to their
capability of producing structurally unique bioactive secondary metabolites [4, 5].
The population of China has been using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM),
inclusive of medicinal plants, animals, and minerals, to treat various kinds of
diseases for thousands of years. Prof. Youyou Tu was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine in 2015 for her contribution to the discovery of artemisinin
for the treatment of malaria, representing a great achievement of natural product
research in China [6]. In the 1980s, Prof. Kanghou Long, the pioneer of marine
natural product research in China, reported methyl isosartortuoate, a novel
tetracyclic tetraterpenoid from the soft coral Sarcophyton tortuosum, and
subergorgic acid, a novel tricyclopentanoid cardiotoxin from the gorgonian
Subergorgia suberosa [7, 8]. This marked the start of marine natural product
research in China even though the pace of this field of Chinese science was still
slow for the next two decades to come. Since the beginning of the new millennium,
however, more and more Chinese scientists have turned their attention to marine
natural product research. Recent reviews regarding the temporal and geographic
distribution of marine natural products have highlighted the rise of marine natural
product research in China and the substantial increase in discoveries of new marine
natural products from marine microorganisms over time [9–11].
82
Z. Liu et al.