Anticancer Drugs Sourced from Marine Life

This chapter deals with the approved drugs sourced from marine biota, the pathophysiology of cancer, the anticancer potential of marine organisms, the most promising marine biota-derived anticancer compounds for the different types of human and cancer, biogeography of marine invertebrate species yielding anti cancer compounds, major constraints in the development of anticancer drugs and the remedial measures. 

This chapter deals with marine biodiversity and its constituents possessing anticancer activity. The different potential groups of marine plants such as microalgae (e.g. cyanobacteria), macroalgae (seaweeds), seagrasses, and mangroves; marine invertebrates viz. sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, and echinoderms; and tunicates among chordates producing anticancer compounds have been identified. The chemical diversity of anticancer compounds representing different chemical classes viz. alkaloids, terpenes, peptides, polyketides, polyphenols, glycosides etc. is also dealt with. 

This chapter deals with the approved and marketed anticancer drugs derived from marine sponges, mollusks/cyanobacteria, and tunicates; marine biota-derived anticancer compounds in clinical trials i.e in III, II, and I phases; and bioactive new chemical entities (NCEs) with anticancer function from marine biota. Limiting factors in the development and approval of drugs from marine biota and significant challenges in the development and approval of marine drugs are also given.

This chapter identifies the potential species of the various groups of marine plants such as microalgae (microscopic green algae, blue-green algae, golden-brown, and yellow algae, yellow-green algae and dinoflagellates and red alga), macroalgae or seaweeds viz. green algae, brown algae and red algae), seagrasses, mangrove plants, and halophytes; and their anticancer compounds with the mechanism of actions.

This chapter deals with the anticancer activity of different chemical classes of compounds of marine sponges viz. alkaloids, terpenes, peptides and lipids. The mechanisms of action of the different compounds are also given. 

The anticancer potential of the marine organisms of the phylum: Cnidaria viz. medusae of Hydrozoa, Scyphozoa and Cubozoa; and soft, stony and black corals and sea anemones of Anthozoa are given in this chapter. 

This chapter deals with the anticancer and cytotoxic compounds of marine bryozoans and their mechanisms of action. Most of the anticancer compounds of these bryozoans were found to belong to the chemical classes alkaloids and lactones. 

This topic describes the anticancer metabolites of the components of marine shellfish such as crustaceasn (shrimp, lobsters, crayfish, and crabs), marine molluscs viz. bivalves (clams, oysters, etc), gastropods (snails, slugs, etc.) and cephalopods (squids, octopuses, and cuttlefish). Among the bioactive compounds of marine molluscs, the anti-proliferative and cytotoxic compounds accounted for 12 and 36%. Among echinoderms, the asteroids (starfish), echinoids (sea urchins) and holothuroids (sea cucumbers) are found to be pharmaceutically important. Among the bioactive metabolites of echinoderms, the cytotoxic or anti-proliferative metabolites accounted for 38%. 

The anticancer compounds of tunicates and marine fishes viz. elasmobranchs and teleosts are dealt with in this chapter.