The Value of Metabolites From Marine Organisms
The ocean is a continuous body of saltwater that covers more than 70% of the earth's surface. A large number of marine organisms are present in the ocean and have evolved to live in harsh and challenging conditions. Marine organisms have immense potential to provide us with rich and valuable metabolites because of their resistance to temperature, pH, salt, and contaminants. Currently, metabolites from marine organisms remain largely unexplored or only partially explored. Studies have shown that metabolites from marine organisms can be used for disease treatment and cosmetic research.
Disease Treatment
Over the past 40 years, more than 20000 metabolites have been obtained from marine organisms through bioprospecting efforts. They including alkaloids, terpenoids, shikimates, peptides, polyketides and others. Metabolites from marine organisms have the potential for a range of applications, such as anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antituberculosis, and others. Specifically, novel secondary metabolites from marine bacteria and fungi have unique and diverse chemical structures. These metabolites may hold the key to the development of novel drugs or drug leads[1].
Cosmetic Research
Due to the uniqueness of marine environment, marine organisms have metabolic pathways and adaptation mechanisms different from terrestrial organisms. This results in the metabolites from marine organisms exhibiting unique structures, high diversity, and significant biological activities[2]. For example, many metabolites from marine organisms have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-pigmentation activities and the ability to restore transepidermal water loss to the skin[3]. Therefore, these metabolites have the potential to be effective and safe cosmetic ingredients.
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References
- Karthikeyan, A.; et al. Promising bioactive compounds from the marine environment and their potential effects on various diseases. Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. 2022, 20: 14.
- Jinwang Ding, J.; et al. Application of marine microbial natural products in cosmetics. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2022, 13: 892505.
- Alparslan, L.; et al. The potential of marine resources in cosmetics. Current Perspectives on Medicinal & Aromatic Plants. 2018, 2: 53-66.
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