ABSTRACT
286Natural-product-based drug discovery has imparted a renaissance, particularly, to the field of marine natural-product-based drug discovery in the past few decades. A large number of structurally diverse chemical compounds discovered from marine sources have beneficial health effects and reduce the risk of a number of life-threatening and debilitating diseases. Inspirational drug discovery processes by semisynthetic modification of natural leads have provided an additional factor of force to drive marine natural product pharmacognosy ahead. A number of marine natural products and synthetic analogs as well are being evaluated for indications of different diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, infectious disease, inflammation and protozoan diseases. Prosperous biodiversity of marine environment is the major source of new biologically active molecules. This chapter presents an account of 198 compounds of marine origin and 206 references directed toward the discovery of new anticancer, anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulating and antidiabetic agents from marine sources particularly emphasizing tremendous opportunities involved in developing new pharmaceuticals from the sea, along with compounds that are in the market and in clinical trial.
