Editors: Arumugam Veera Ravi, Ramanathan Srinivasan, Arunachalam Kannappan

Series Title: Frontiers in Antimicrobial Agents

Recent Advances in the Application of Marine Natural Products as Antimicrobial Agents

Volume 3

eBook: US $79 Special Offer (PDF + Printed Copy): US $136
Printed Copy: US $96
Library License: US $316
ISSN: 2452-2570 (Print)
ISSN: 2452-2589 (Online)
ISBN: 978-981-5080-15-5 (Print)
ISBN: 978-981-5080-14-8 (Online)
Year of Publication: 2023
DOI: 10.2174/97898150801481230301

Introduction

While the world is grappling with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, marine organisms offer a promising solution with their diverse repertoire of bioactive compounds. This thematic volume explores the untapped potential of marine organisms in the fight against microbial threats. The focus of the 17 featured chapters lies in highlighting the vast array of antimicrobial agents that can be found within marine environments. The chapters provide in-depth knowledge about the latest discoveries, advancements and future needs in antimicrobial research. Readers will learn about astonishing discoveries of natural compounds with remarkable antimicrobial properties and sources. The list of agents covered in the book includes synthetic derivatives, bioactive polysaccharides and marine viruses. The book also includes chapters that cover various stages of the antimicrobial drug development process, providing an overview of recent antimicrobial agents derived from marine organisms, preclinical studies and the identification of patented drugs sourced from the ocean. Furthermore, the book sheds light on the diverse applications of these marine-derived compounds, spanning the fields of medicine, agriculture, and industry.

Professionals in the fields of microbiology, marine biology, pharmaceutical sciences, and drug development will gain valuable insights into the use of marine organisms as a source of antimicrobial agents.

Audience: Medicinal chemists, professional researchers and scholars in microbiology, marine biology and related fields in life sciences.

Foreword

Frontiers in Antimicrobial Agents Vol. 3, Recent Advances in the Application of Marine Natural Products as Antimicrobial Agents, is an important book. The marine environment represents a unique resource that enfolds an enormous biological diversity ranging from viruses, single cells such as prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea), fungi and algae; to higher plants, invertebrates and higher organisms such as mammals. This enormous, largely unexplored diversity has, in recent years, been mined for its potential as a source of unique biologically active chemical diversity that can be harnessed into novel biomedical applications. These natural compounds are defined as biologically active products such as secondary metabolites, enzymes, lipids, etc. Many of these compounds are produced by the oceans’ diverse microbial communities and are being exploited as important sources of bioactive and complex secondary metabolites with the potential to treat several diseases ranging from cancer to incurable antibiotic-resistant diseases. Some of these compounds can be used as antifoulants, preventing the settlement of unwanted organisms in the marine environment, and used in preventing biofilm formation in medical devices. The promise of such a wealth of novel compounds has led to a plethora of studies searching for novel compounds. Recently, novel antimicrobial agents have been isolated from bacteria or fungi found in the marine environment. Importantly, many of these compounds show clear promise in curing diseases that have, to date, been considered chronic and resistant. Indeed, recent publications have been emphasizing the role of marine microorganisms in the discovery of novel bioactive products, revealing that approximately 60% of these novel products come from marine bacteria. The new impetus for the study of these novel products has been advanced through the use of both cultures-dependent and independent methodologies, in particular on the novel and stronger molecular and analytical tools that have enabled the identification of new molecules with antimicrobial potentials. In addition, the use of new synthetic biology platforms enables researchers to mimic and develop less toxic derivatives of some of the novel materials discovered in the marine environment. These tools will greatly enlarge the repertoire of novel bioactive chemicals. This book provides an important compilation of studies revealing the potential of mining the ocean for novel bioactive compounds using the new tools available to us.

Ariel Kushmaro
John A. Ungar Chair in Biotechnology
Head of Environmental Biotechnology Lab
Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering and
The Ilse Katz Center for Nanoscale Science
Ben Gurion University
Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel