title: Pharmacologically prospective antibiotic agents and their sources: a marine microbial perspective.
abstract: Marine microbes have been a storehouse of bioactive metabolites with tremendous potential as drug candidates. Marine microorganism derived secondary metabolites (chemical compounds/peptides) are considered to be a burning area of research since recent past. Many of such compounds have been proven to be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-algal, anti-HIV, anti-helminthic, anti-protozoan, anti-tumor and anti-allergic agents. Marine bacteria and fungi have been reported to be the producers of such compounds owing to their defense mechanisms and metabolic by products. Although the number of natural products isolated from these classes of marine microbial flora is large, a limited number of such compounds reach the clinical trial and even less number of them get approved as a drug. Here we discuss the recent studies on the isolation, characterization and the pharmacological significances of anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-infective agents of marine microbial origin. Further, the clinical status of such compounds has also been discussed in comparison with those derived from their terrestrial counterparts.
authors.affiliation: Marine Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Pukyong National University, Busan 608-737, Republic of Korea. ibhatnagar@gmail.com
authors.forename: Ira
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bhatnagar
authors.forename: Se-Kwon
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D059001:Aquatic Organisms; D001685:Biological Factors / Q000032:analysis*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000032:analysis*; D055808:Drug Discovery; D008386:Marine Biology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D001685:Biological Factors; D001688:Biological Products