Marine biome-derived secondary metabolites, a class of promising antineoplastic agents: A systematic review on their classification, mechanism of action and future perspectives

Cancer is one of the most deadly diseases on the planet. Over the past decades, numerous antineoplastic compounds have been discovered from natural resources such as medicinal plants and marine species as part of multiple drug dis-covery initiatives. Notably, several marine flora (e.g. Ascophyllum nodosum, Sargassum thunbergii) have been identified as a rich source for novel cytotoxic compounds of different chemical forms. Despite the availability of enormous chem-ically enhanced new resources, the anticancer potential of marine flora and fauna has received little attention. Inter-estingly, numerous marine-derived secondary metabolites (e.g., Cytarabine, Trabectedin) have exhibited anticancer effects in preclinical cancer models. Most of the anticancer drugs obtained from marine sources stimulated apoptotic signal transduction pathways in cancer cells, such as the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. This review highlights the sources of different cytotoxic secondary metabolites obtained from marine bacteria, algae, fungi, invertebrates, and vertebrates. Furthermore, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the utilisation of numerous marine derived cytotoxic compounds as anticancer drugs, as well as their modes of action (e.g., molecular target). Finally, it also discusses the future prospects of marine-derived drug developments and their constraints.

Automated summary

This article reviews the research progress of marine-derived anticancer drugs, pointing out the rich sources of cytotoxic compounds in marine flora and fauna that have been overlooked. Anticancer drugs derived from marine sources mainly work by stimulating apoptotic signal transduction pathways. The article also provides a comprehensive overview of marine-derived drug development, including sources, modes of action, and discusses future prospects.