Marine Natural Products from Seaweeds

Abstract

Marine Natural Products from SeaweedsAbstract: Natural products from seaweeds have been studied with the aim of finding new drugs of industrial value, understanding their ecological role, and well as establishing the limits of taxonomic species, genera and families of marine algae. The present review shows the main features of natural products from seaweeds of the Divisions Chlorophyta -Class Ulvophyceae (green seaweeds), Ochrophyta -Class Phaeophyceae (Brown seaweeds) and Rhodophyta (red seaweeds). The most important examples of natural products isolated in the Brazilian coast are presented along with their main biological activities and their ecological, evolutionary and taxonomic importance.

Seaweeds as Source of New Bioactive Prototypes

“…In general, it is believed that in the marine environment, halogenated monoterpenes serve as chemical defense in response to stressor agents, especially herbivores. The production and storage of these metabolites must be related to the survival of algae in the marine environment, and therefore may be potential prototypes for important pharmacological activities [70]. An example of the activity of red algae monoterpenes was described by Chilean researchers from studies with hexane extract of Plocamium cartilagineum collected on the coast of Antarctica.…”

Estudo de antioxidantes, potencial bioativo e composição química de Chnoospora minima, Dictyopteris plagiogramma, Padina gymnospora, Sargassum cymosum (Ochrophyta) e Codium isthmocladum (Chlorophyta)

“…1). Os terpenos são formados por unidades de cinco carbonos (chamadas de isopreno) e são classificados de acordo com o número de unidades de isopreno (Taiz & Zeiger 2006). Os carotenoides, pigmentos presentes em todos os organismos fotossintetizantes, possuem oito unidades de isopreno (40 carbonos), sendo classificados como tetraterpenos.…”

“…As substâncias fenólicas apresentam um grupo fenol (um anel aromático ligado a uma hidroxila), e são formados por duas rotas metabólicas: do ácido chiquímico e do acetato malonato (Taiz e Zeiger 2006) (Fig. 1).…”