title: Challenges and rewards of research in marine natural products chemistry in Brazil.
abstract: Brazil is blessed with a great biodiversity, which constitutes one of the most important sources of biologically active compounds, even if it has been largely underexplored. As is the case of the Amazon and Atlantic rainforests, the Brazilian marine fauna remains practically unexplored in the search for new biologically active natural products. Considering that marine organisms have been shown to be one of the most promising sources of new bioactive compounds for the treatment of different human diseases, the 8000 km of the Brazilian coastline represents a great potential for finding new pharmacologically active secondary metabolites. This review presents the status of marine natural products chemistry in Brazil, including results reported by different research groups with emphasis on the isolation, structure elucidation, and evaluation of biological activities of natural products isolated from sponges, ascidians, octocorals, and Opistobranch mollusks. A brief overview of the first Brazilian program on the isolation of marine bacteria and fungi, directed toward the production of biologically active compounds, is also discussed. The current multidisciplinary collaborative program under development at the Universidade de São Paulo proposes to establish a new paradigm toward the management of the Brazilian marine biodiversity, integrating research on the species diversity, ecology, taxonomy, and biogeography of marine invertebrates and microorganisms. This program also includes a broad screening program of Brazilian marine bioresources, to search for active compounds that may be of interest for the development of new drug leads.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Química de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 780, CEP 13560-970, São Carlos, SP, Brazil. rgsberlinck@iqsc.usp.br
authors.forename: Roberto G S
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Berlinck
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hajdu
authors.forename: Rosana M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: da Rocha
authors.forename: Jaine H H L
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Isara L C
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Mirna H R
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Seleghim
authors.forename: Ana Claudia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Granato
authors.forename: Erika V R
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.forename: Cecília V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Nuñez
authors.forename: Guilherme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Muricy
authors.forename: Solange
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peixinho
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pessoa
authors.forename: Manoel O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Moraes
authors.forename: Bruno C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Cavalcanti
authors.forename: Gislene G F
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.forename: Otavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Thiemann
authors.forename: Marcio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Ana O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Celio L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Paulo R R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Minarini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000737:chemistry; D001688:Biological Products / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D001938:Brazil; D008386:Marine Biology; D015394:Molecular Structure; D008974:Mollusca / Q000737:chemistry; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011161:Porifera / Q000737:chemistry; D014561:Urochordata / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations