Bioactive Compounds from Marine Heterobranchs

• Published in: Marine drugs 2020-12, Vol.18 (12), p.657
• Main Authors: Avila, Conxita, Angulo-Preckler, Carlos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-inflammatory agents; Antibiotics; Anticancer properties; Antifouling substances; Antimicrobial agents; Antiparasitic agents; Antiviral agents; Avoidance; Avoidance behaviour; Basale medisinske, odontologiske og veterinærmedisinske fag: 710; Basic medical, dental and veterinary science disciplines: 710; Bioactive compounds; Biocompatibility; Biofarmasi: 736; Biological activity; Biological Products - chemistry; Biological Products - isolation & purification; Biological Products - metabolism; Biopharmacy: 736; Biotechnology; Chemical compounds; Chemical ecology; Clinical trials; Cytotoxicity; Drugs; Feeds; Gastropoda; Inflammation; Interspecific relationships; Laboratories; marine natural products; Medical disciplines: 700; Medisinske Fag: 700; Mollusca; Mollusks; Morphology; Natural products; Neurodegenerative diseases; Pharmacology; Pheromones; Predation; Predators; Regeneration; Regeneration (biological); Review; Shellfish; Snails; Snails - chemistry; Snails - metabolism; Sun screens; Sunscreens; Tissue engineering; Toxicity; VDP
• ISSN: 1660-3397; 1660-3397
• DOI: 10.3390/MD18120657

The natural products of heterobranch molluscs display a huge variability both in structure and in their bioactivity. Despite the considerable lack of information, it can be observed from the recent literature that this group of animals possesses an astonishing arsenal of molecules from different origins that provide the molluscs with potent chemicals that are ecologically and pharmacologically relevant. In this review, we analyze the bioactivity of more than 450 compounds from ca. 400 species of heterobranch molluscs that are useful for the snails to protect themselves in different ways and/or that may be useful to us because of their pharmacological activities. Their ecological activities include predator avoidance, toxicity, antimicrobials, antifouling, trail-following and alarm pheromones, sunscreens and UV protection, tissue regeneration, and others. The most studied ecological activity is predation avoidance, followed by toxicity. Their pharmacological activities consist of cytotoxicity and antitumoral activity; antibiotic, antiparasitic, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activity; and activity against neurodegenerative diseases and others. The most studied pharmacological activities are cytotoxicity and anticancer activities, followed by antibiotic activity. Overall, it can be observed that heterobranch molluscs are extremely interesting in regard to the study of marine natural products in terms of both chemical ecology and biotechnology studies, providing many leads for further detailed research in these fields in the near future.