Natural products have been the greatest source of novel medicines currently
used in the treatment of several human diseases. In past decades, a notable quantity of
natural molecules has been obtained from several marine sources. The huge
biodiversity existing in the marine environment, from among which marine
invertebrates stand out as a major contributors to the discovery of new molecules, has
encouraged investigators from all over the world to identify new marine natural
compounds with therapeutic potential. With the discovery of cytarabine and vidarabine
in 1974 promising natural products isolated from marine invertebrates became part of
the pharmacopeia used in human therapeutic. In 2004, ziconotide was approved for
moderate to severe pain treatment and in 2007, trabectedin received European approval
to treat patients with soft tissue sarcoma, and finally in 2009 it was approved for
treatment of ovarian carcinoma. The largely unexplored marine world harbors a great
biodiversity and provides a unique and rich source of natural products with interesting
pharmaceutical activities and potential therapeutic applications. In this context, this
chapter focuses on the marine invertebrates and reviews marine natural products that
are currently being assessed in clinical trials and provides a glimpse of these
compounds potential to expand the pharmacopeia in the treatment of diverse human
diseases.
Keywords: Aquatic ecosystem, Bioactive activities, Bioactive compounds,
Clinical trials, Human therapeutics, Invertebrates, Marine environment, Marine
natural products, Pharmaceutical applications, Pharmaceutical drugs.
