Natural Products from Marine Invertebrates and Microorganisms in Brazil between 2004 and 2017: Still the Challenges, More Rewards

Abstract

The Brazilian marine biodiversity represents a unique, yet underexplored resource of biologically active compounds. This review provides an analysis of the development of marine natural products chemistry in Brazil within the period comprised between 2004 and 2017. Emphasis is directed towards marine invertebrate and marine microorganisms metabolites, including isolation, structure analysis, biosynthesis, bioactivities and total synthesis. An overview of the research on marine natural products by Brazilian researchers is also discussed, as well as perspectives for the development of the chemistry of marine natural products in Brazil.

Use of chiral auxiliaries in the asymmetric synthesis of biologically active compounds: A review

“…Another example of the use of Corey's chiral auxiliary ( 33 ) is in the synthesis of ( S )‐(−)‐quinolactacin B, a natural compound that contains a quinolone skeleton conjugated with a γ‐lactam ring. It was isolated from the marine fungus Penicillium citrinum and was shown to inhibit the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which is involved in autoimmune and immune‐mediated disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, spondylitis, psoriasis, and inflammatory diseases …”

Anticancer Potential of Compounds from the Brazilian Blue Amazon

“…The competition for space with other sessile and predatory organisms is believed to have been one of the factors for natural selection of the means to produce a wide variety of secondary metabolites [25]. For this reason, sponges appear as very promising marine organisms in the search for bioactive compounds with anticancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and other biological proprieties [26], and the Porifera account for the most studied animal taxa in marine drug discovery [11].…”

“…Research in this area, especially related to natural marine products, which was initiated in the 1960s, yielded a significant increase in the number and impact of the findings reported, especially over the past 2 decades. Still, it remains mainly restricted to universities and research institutes, and the results are still in early stages when considering product generation [10][11][12].…”

“…In this sense, Brazilian biodiversity is an attractive underexplored source where the impact of high-quality groundbreaking research can potentially reveal a myriad of new bioactive molecules. Indeed, the number of isolated compounds has steadily increased over the last 2 decades, but it is quite obvious that biological resources are still underexplored, especially with regard to drug development [11,12]. Microorganisms, including fungi, cyanobacteria, and bacteria, have seduced the natural products community worldwide and in Brazil alike, receiving significant attention as the reputed true producers of most bioactive compounds isolated from marine invertebrates [12].…”

“…There are few comprehensive reviews on marine natural products isolated from Brazilian organisms highlighting chemical diversity; however, those merely list the pharmacological activities of isolated compounds [10][11][12]23]. In this context, to the best of our knowledge, there is no previous publication addressing marine compounds with anticancer potential in terms of molecular targets and mechanisms of action.…”