Sardinia. One of them, cephalosporin C, possesses strong antibacterial properties
and is effective against penicillin-resistant bacteria. Its discovery led to the development of several different synthetic cephalosporins, which are widely used today
in treating illnesses due to bacterial infection (Fig. 8.6).
A saponin mixture from the edible sea cucumber Sticophus japonicus is also
known to have marked growth suppression properties against athlete’s foot fungus,
and its chief ingredient holotoxin A has been used in athlete’s foot medication
(Fig. 8.7) (Kim 2018).
Derivatives of pseudomonic acid from the marine microorganism Alteromonas
sp. have recently shown powerful antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus
aureus, while new caprolactams isolated from as-yet unknown Gram-positive
marine microorganisms from deep-sea sediments have shown antiviral activities
against HSV-II at concentrations of 100 µg/ml (Fig. 8.8). New ring-shaped
Fig. 8.6 Cephalosporin C derived from marine microorganisms
Fig. 8.7 Holotoxin A from the sea cucumber S. japonicas
8.2 Pharmaceutical Materials
235