10
Marine Natural Substances
Contents
10.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................... 345
10.2 Researching Natural Marine Substances......................................................................... 346
10.3 Bioactive Substances from Marine Organisms............................................................... 368
10.4 Chapter Summary and Conclusion ................................................................................. 378
References .................................................................................................................................. 379
10.1 Introduction
The term “natural products” typically refers to the organic products that are produced by animals, plants, and all other lifeforms in their natural state or are present
within their bodies, as opposed to those that are produced artificially. Natural
products such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids are present in relatively large
amounts within organisms and exist in many types, ranging from the component
substances of the body to substances such as vitamins and hormones that are
present in extremely small quantities in organisms and control their functions.
Natural products like sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids that are present in all
organisms and participate directly in their metabolism are known as primary
metabolites. Secondary metabolites are substances that are present only in certain
organisms (such as alkaloids, terpenes, flavonoids, and antibiotics) and do not take
part in metabolism, as well as compounds made from primary metabolite precursors.
The oceans cover over 70% of the earth’s surface and are home to hundreds of
thousands of species of animals, representing 80% of those existing on the planet.
Although they are a veritable storehouse of organismal raw materials, less than 1%
of them have been studied to date. While research has been done on natural
products from land-based organisms, the exhaustion of research resources from
those organisms has increasingly underscored the importance of natural products
from marine sources, and marine organisms have drawn attention as new resources.
Constraints on sample collection and other areas due to the oceans’ environment
have meant that research on natural marine substances has not been highly active.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
S.-K. Kim, Essentials of Marine Biotechnology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20944-5_10
345
Marine Natural Substances
Contents
10.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................... 345
10.2 Researching Natural Marine Substances......................................................................... 346
10.3 Bioactive Substances from Marine Organisms............................................................... 368
10.4 Chapter Summary and Conclusion ................................................................................. 378
References .................................................................................................................................. 379
10.1 Introduction
The term “natural products” typically refers to the organic products that are produced by animals, plants, and all other lifeforms in their natural state or are present
within their bodies, as opposed to those that are produced artificially. Natural
products such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids are present in relatively large
amounts within organisms and exist in many types, ranging from the component
substances of the body to substances such as vitamins and hormones that are
present in extremely small quantities in organisms and control their functions.
Natural products like sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids that are present in all
organisms and participate directly in their metabolism are known as primary
metabolites. Secondary metabolites are substances that are present only in certain
organisms (such as alkaloids, terpenes, flavonoids, and antibiotics) and do not take
part in metabolism, as well as compounds made from primary metabolite precursors.
The oceans cover over 70% of the earth’s surface and are home to hundreds of
thousands of species of animals, representing 80% of those existing on the planet.
Although they are a veritable storehouse of organismal raw materials, less than 1%
of them have been studied to date. While research has been done on natural
products from land-based organisms, the exhaustion of research resources from
those organisms has increasingly underscored the importance of natural products
from marine sources, and marine organisms have drawn attention as new resources.
Constraints on sample collection and other areas due to the oceans’ environment
have meant that research on natural marine substances has not been highly active.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
S.-K. Kim, Essentials of Marine Biotechnology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20944-5_10
345