Bioactive substances from marine sponges

Abstract

Marine sponges have proved to be a rich source of bioactive substances which are potential pharmaceuticals. We have been engaged in the discovery of such compounds from Japanese marine sponges, which resulted in isolation of a number of bioactive metabolites including antimicrobial, antitumor/cytotoxic, enzyme inhobitory, and receptor-antagonistic compounds, some of which are structurally novel as well as highly active. A variety of compoumds have been isolated, ranging from simple terpenes to complex macrolides or polypeptides. it is also noted that some substances can be used for important tools for basic research.