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Marine Drugs
Special Issues
Marine Invasive Species and Their Bioactive Metabolites
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Marine Invasive Species and Their Bioactive Metabolites

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Chemoecology for Drug Discovery".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2023) | Viewed by 9685

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ernesto Mollo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB) at the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
Interests: natural products; marine biotechnology; terpeniods; metabolites; marine ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural products act as mediators of key biological processes in marine environments, including growth, development, reproduction, competition and defense, playing crucial roles in structuring ecological systems. This is the result of the evolutionary optimization of natural compounds, which also makes many of them crucially important in the drug discovery process. On the other hand, bioactive metabolites can disturb ecological systems when mediating the chemical warfare between invasive and native species in invaded regions. This has become an urgent issue in invasion biology, with the production of a relevant, although as yet limited, literature. In parallel, the potential of many of the metabolites isolated from invasive species for use in a variety of applications has been emphasized.

As Guest Editor of this Special Issue of Marine Drugs, I encourage scientists to contribute to expanding our knowledge about the chemical composition of marine invasive species and the mechanisms of action of their bioactive metabolites. Studies focusing on high-added value compounds of interest for applications in different fields such as health, cosmetics, food and agriculture are especially welcome. The articles collected in this Special Issue will therefore offer novel opportunities for the valorization of biomass from invasive species, as an alternative to unrealistic eradication campaigns.

Dr. Ernesto Mollo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • marine natural products
  • biological invasions
  • marine invasive species
  • chemical diversity
  • drug discovery
  • biomass valorization

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 434 KiB  
Editorial
Chasing Chances in a Changing Sea
by Ernesto Mollo
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(5), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20050311 - 3 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1990
Abstract
Bioactive marine natural products (BMNPs) of interest for applications as drugs, antimicrobials, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, or antifoulants, are often present in traces in producer organisms and often occur in threatened or endangered species, or in organisms playing key ecological roles [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Invasive Species and Their Bioactive Metabolites)
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Research

Jump to: Editorial

26 pages, 2897 KiB  
Article
Molecular Diversity and Biochemical Content in Two Invasive Alien Species: Looking for Chemical Similarities and Bioactivities
by Julia Vega, Teresa S. Catalá, Jorge García-Márquez, Linn G. Speidel, Salvador Arijo, Niklas Cornelius Kunz, Christoph Geisler and Félix L. Figueroa
Mar. Drugs 2023, 21(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/md21010005 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4093
Abstract
The biochemical composition, molecular diversity, and two different bioactivities of Asparagopsis armata and Rugulopteryx okamurae (two alien species with different invasive patterns in the southern Iberian Peninsula) were analyzed through spectrophotometric methods and Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectroscopy (FT-ICR-MS). A total of [...] Read more.
The biochemical composition, molecular diversity, and two different bioactivities of Asparagopsis armata and Rugulopteryx okamurae (two alien species with different invasive patterns in the southern Iberian Peninsula) were analyzed through spectrophotometric methods and Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectroscopy (FT-ICR-MS). A total of 3042 molecular formulas were identified from the different extracts. The dH2O extracts were the most molecularly different. A. armata presented the highest content of nitrogenous compounds (proteins, CHON) and sulphur content, whereas R. okamurae was rich in carbonated compounds (total carbon, lipids, CHO, and CHOP). Antioxidant capacity and phenolic content were higher in R. okamurae than in A. armata. Antimicrobial activity was detected from both species. A. armata showed capacity to inhibit human and fish pathogens (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus or Vibrio anguillarum), whereas R. okamurae only showed inhibition against human bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Cutibacterium acnes). In R. okamurae, molecules with a great number of pharmaceutical activities (e.g., anti-inflammatory or antitumoral), antibacterial, biomaterial, and other utilities were found. The main molecules of A. armata had also pharmaceutical applications (e.g., antimalarian, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory, or antiarthritis). The valorization of these species can help to counteract the environmental effects of the bioinvasions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Invasive Species and Their Bioactive Metabolites)
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16 pages, 2670 KiB  
Article
An Efficient and Quick Analytical Method for the Quantification of an Algal Alkaloid Caulerpin Showed In-Vitro Anticancer Activity against Colorectal Cancer
by Nazli Mert-Ozupek, Gizem Calibasi-Kocal, Nur Olgun, Yasemin Basbinar, Levent Cavas and Hulya Ellidokuz
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(12), 757; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20120757 - 30 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2035
Abstract
Biological invasion is the successful spread and establishment of a species in a novel environment that adversely affects the biodiversity, ecology, and economy. Both invasive and non-invasive species of the Caulerpa genus secrete more than thirty different secondary metabolites. Caulerpin is one of [...] Read more.
Biological invasion is the successful spread and establishment of a species in a novel environment that adversely affects the biodiversity, ecology, and economy. Both invasive and non-invasive species of the Caulerpa genus secrete more than thirty different secondary metabolites. Caulerpin is one of the most common secondary metabolites in genus Caulerpa. In this study, caulerpin found in invasive Caulerpa cylindracea and non-invasive Caulerpa lentillifera extracts were analyzed, quantified, and compared using high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) for the first time. The anticancer activities of caulerpin against HCT-116 and HT-29 colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines were also tested. Caulerpin levels were found higher in the invasive form (108.83 ± 5.07 µg mL−1 and 96.49 ± 4.54 µg mL−1). Furthermore, caulerpin isolated from invasive Caulerpa decreased cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 values were found between 119 and 179 µM), inhibited invasion-migration, and induced apoptosis in CRC cells. In comparison, no cytotoxic effects on the normal cell lines (HDF and NIH-3T3) were observed. In conclusion, HPTLC is a quick and novel method to investigate the caulerpin levels found in Caulerpa extracts, and this paper proposes an alternative utilization method for invasive C. cylindracea due to significant caulerpin content compared to non-invasive C. lentillifera. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Invasive Species and Their Bioactive Metabolites)
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