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Biological diversity of the ocean offers great promise as a source of drugs for the future since representatives of every phylum are found in the sea and twelve phyla are exclusively marine. ... Compounds have been extracted from marine plants and animals for centuries--Pliny the Elder described the toxic properties of sea hares in the genus Dolabella more than 2,000 years ago. ...
Potential and market products
The potential of marine natural products as pharmaceuticals was introduced by the pioneering work of Bergmann in the 1950s, which led to the development of the first marine-derived pharmaceuticals (3,4). The first approved products derived from marine organism date back to mid 70s. ... Medical device firms also use the test to ensure that catheters, pacemakers, and other invasive devices are endotoxin-free. ...
Despite nearly 40 years of research, there are only a few approved pharmaceuticals derived from marine organisms. These pharmaceuticals include materials originally isolated from marine sponges (the antiviral acyclovir, AZT and the anticancer drug Ara-C) and cephalosporins, the antibiotics originally isolated from a pseudomarine fungus. ... Marine sponges are the most reliable source as of more than 5,000 chemical compounds derived from marine organisms, more than 30% have been isolated from sponges (1)
At present, dozens of compounds derived from marine organisms are in the various stages of research and development worldwide. ... Moreover, preclinical studies have demonstrated that this multi-faceted approach may allow squalamine broad application across many cancer types, and in proliferative eye diseases (8).
Despite the emphasis on identifying new anticancer compounds, marine natural products such as pseudopterosins, topsentins, scytonemin and manoalide have also been found to act as mediators of the inflammatory response (11).
One important application of the many bioactive compounds derived from the marine environment is their use as molecular probes. Molecules such as the potent marine neurotoxins, tetrodotoxin, saxitoxin, conotoxin, lophotoxin, and others, have been instrumental in defining the functions and overall structures of the membrane channels that facilitate nerve transmission (1).
Another marine natural products provide visual markers for proteins specified by antibodies, enzymes and biosensors for detection of molecular and cellular events. ... Japanese researchers have developed methods to induce a marine alga to produce large amounts of the enzyme superoxide dismutase, which is used in enormous quantities for a range of medical, cosmetic, and food applications (12). ...
The continuing nemesis of experimenting with marine compounds is supply. To begin preliminary trials with halichondrin B, a promising anticancer chemical from a marine sponge, a metric ton of sponges had to be collected to derive 300 milligrams of drug, the amount needed (15). ... The international law of the sea has not kept pace with the development of profitable application of biotechnology, or with pharmaceutical and marine biomedical research relating to marine biota. As a result, there is a very limited understanding of the relationships between different legal instruments dealing with ownership of marine data, samples and results, and the principles regulating the allocation of legal title to products and processes deriving from such applications, or about the environmental and moral consequences of such uses (14).
In summary, the oceanic organisms constitute a major portion of the Earths biological resources, offering abundant resources for research and development in medical field. Recent advances in molecular biology, aquaculture, processing technologies together with legal framework should permit their intelligent management and application.
General Overview
Throughout the world, marine scientists and their partners in industry, academia, and government are now searching for more effective drugs to treat a variety of diseases, including AIDS, cancer, and asthma. The marine environment has become a focus of natural products drug discovery research because of its relatively unexplored biodiversity compared to terrestrial environments. A wide number of marine species have been found to contain compounds of medical interest. Sea-based products are rare, but experts believe that the worlds oceans and waterways may harbour the next generation of drugs, biologics, and even a few medical devices. ...
In essence, as this overview stated, the exploitation of marine organism for medical purpose is a great area in the marine biotechnology arena. However, as for any new invention the analysis of the driving forces, potential and market products as well as benefits and challenges, is a rational way of prediction whether marine derived drugs and devices are likely to be a feature of medicine in the future. ...
Biological diversity of the ocean offers great promise as a source of drugs for the future since representatives of every phylum are found in the sea and twelve phyla are exclusively marine. ... Compounds have been extracted from marine plants and animals for centuries--Pliny the Elder described the toxic properties of sea hares in the genus Dolabella more than 2,000 years ago. ...
Potential and market products
The potential of marine natural products as pharmaceuticals was introduced by the pioneering work of Bergmann in the 1950s, which led to the development of the first marine-derived pharmaceuticals (3,4). The first approved products derived from marine organism date back to mid 70s. ... Medical device firms also use the test to ensure that catheters, pacemakers, and other invasive devices are endotoxin-free. ...
Despite nearly 40 years of research, there are only a few approved pharmaceuticals derived from marine organisms. These pharmaceuticals include materials originally isolated from marine sponges (the antiviral acyclovir, AZT and the anticancer drug Ara-C) and cephalosporins, the antibiotics originally isolated from a pseudomarine fungus. ... Marine sponges are the most reliable source as of more than 5,000 chemical compounds derived from marine organisms, more than 30% have been isolated from sponges (1)
At present, dozens of compounds derived from marine organisms are in the various stages of research and development worldwide. ... Moreover, preclinical studies have demonstrated that this multi-faceted approach may allow squalamine broad application across many cancer types, and in proliferative eye diseases (8).
Despite the emphasis on identifying new anticancer compounds, marine natural products such as pseudopterosins, topsentins, scytonemin and manoalide have also been found to act as mediators of the inflammatory response (11).
One important application of the many bioactive compounds derived from the marine environment is their use as molecular probes.
Approximate Word count = 5104
Approximate Pages = 20.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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