Marine Actinomycetes the Past, the Present and the Future

Abstract

In the field of exploring new natural sources for biologically active products with economic importance, the marine environment draws particular attention due to the noticeable diversity and extreme conditions; it is well known that the marine environment is a valuable source of biological and therapeutic compounds with great value. The marine environment represents a novel source for the discovery of new secondary metabolites including antibiotic, antiviral, antitumor, antifouling agents, as well as enzymes. Marine actinomycetes are widely distributed through the marine environment from shallow to sea sediments. The secondary metabolites obtained from such marine actinomycetes have proved their value in different industries due to their unique properties and structures. This review focuses on the importance of marine actinomycetes as well as their secondary metabolites. The development of new technologies for marine actinomycetes bioprospection is very promising, leading to the discovery of high-quality value products with biotechnological and medical applications.