10.4 Chapter Summary and Conclusion
Natural substances from land-based organisms have been an area of active
research and application to date. As land-based organism resource quantities
dwindle over time, attention has turned to natural marine substances as a new
natural resource. Numerous constraints exist on research into natural marine
substances, including difficulties with specimen collection owing to the particularities of the ocean environment. While the area was not a focus of active
research in the past, the recent development of different techniques has made
specimen collection relatively easy, while the development of analytical
equipment has further boosted interest in natural marine substances.
Reports indicate more than 1000 types of natural compounds found each year
in marine organisms, yet only a few natural marine substances are currently in
use as pharmaceuticals. This stems from the fact that the natural substances
present in marine organisms tend to exist in very small amounts, are for the most
part highly toxic, and have very complex structures that make them difficult to
synthesize chemically.
With so many new natural substances being isolated from marine organisms
each year, it appears likely that some of them will have powerful and unique
bioactivity properties that can be developed into game-changingly effective
pharmaceuticals in the future.
Fig. 10.19 Natural marine substances with antifungal bioactivity properties
378
10 Marine Natural Substances
Natural substances from land-based organisms have been an area of active
research and application to date. As land-based organism resource quantities
dwindle over time, attention has turned to natural marine substances as a new
natural resource. Numerous constraints exist on research into natural marine
substances, including difficulties with specimen collection owing to the particularities of the ocean environment. While the area was not a focus of active
research in the past, the recent development of different techniques has made
specimen collection relatively easy, while the development of analytical
equipment has further boosted interest in natural marine substances.
Reports indicate more than 1000 types of natural compounds found each year
in marine organisms, yet only a few natural marine substances are currently in
use as pharmaceuticals. This stems from the fact that the natural substances
present in marine organisms tend to exist in very small amounts, are for the most
part highly toxic, and have very complex structures that make them difficult to
synthesize chemically.
With so many new natural substances being isolated from marine organisms
each year, it appears likely that some of them will have powerful and unique
bioactivity properties that can be developed into game-changingly effective
pharmaceuticals in the future.
Fig. 10.19 Natural marine substances with antifungal bioactivity properties
378
10 Marine Natural Substances