Isolation and application of marine natural products

The marine bioactive compounds or Marine natural products (MNPs) offer avenues for developing cost-effective, safe and potent novel drugs and other useful products. MNPs are organic compounds produced by microbes, sponges, seaweeds, and other marine organisms. The host organism biosynthesizes these compounds as non-primary or secondary metabolites to protect themselves and to maintain homeostasis in their environment. In the decade from 1977 to 1987, around 2500 new metabolites (MNPs) were reported from marine organisms ranging from microbes to fish. According to Dr. S.Z. Qasim, less than 1.0% of the total marine organisms have only been examined for MNPs research. Perusal of literature indicated that even the seawater has bactericidal properties. This could be attributed to the production of antibiotics by planktonic algae and bacteria respectively. Considering such vast resource, holistic approach of pharmacological research has to be given to develop potent therapeutics