Remarks on the chemo biological applications of marine sponges

Abstract

Since many years, marine sponges have been ranked at the top with respect to the discovery of bioactive compounds of potential pharmaceutical applications. The diversity in chemical structures of sponge-derived metabolites is related to an equally diverse pattern of activities ranging from antifouling to anti-HIV properties. These discoveries have attracted the attention of scientists to develop feasible strategies for obtaining sponge-derived metabolites on commercial scale. Sponges have the potential to provide future drugs against important diseases, such as cancer, a range of viral diseases, malaria and inflammations. The molecular mode of action of most metabolites is still unclear. However, the way by which they interfere with the pathogenesis of a wide range of diseases has been reported by many workers. This chapter majorly focuses the important chemo-active molecules from marine sponges and their applications in various disease therapies.