DERIVED FROM MARINE ORGANISM

Nature has been instrumental as a source of therapeutics. Since the oceans cover more than 70 % of the earth surface and the marine environment is highly diverse, it is very much likely that marine organisms would be a wonderful source of biologically active molecules. Over the past decade, several new therapeutic agents derived from marine sources have entered preclinical and clinical trials. This field has expanded significantly as a result of improvements in the technology of deep-sea collection, extraction and large-scale production through aquaculture and synthesis. The collection of the marine therapeutics includes molecules with antibiotic, antiviral, antiphrastic, analgesic and anticancer activity. This review focuses on the latest studies and critical research in this field and evidences the immense potential of marine organisms as sources of bioactive peptides and other anticancer biomolecules. Various anticancer compounds with diverse modes of action, such as, anti-proliferative, antioxidant, anti-microtubule have been isolated from marine sources. Traditional chemotherapeutic agents have a range of side effects like fatigue, gastrointestinal distress and depression of immune system which introduces the necessity of natural anticancer drug discovery. Recent researches have been focused on peptides from marine animal sources, since they have been found as secondary metabolites from sponges, ascidians, tunicates and molluscs. Th