Bioactive Marine Natural Products

Marine natural products have attracted the attention of biologists and chemists the world over for the past five decades. As a result of the potential for new drug discovery, marine natural products have attracted scientists from different disciplines, such as organic chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, pharmacology, biology and ecology. This interest has led to the discovery of almost 8,500 marine natural products to date and many of the compounds have shown very promising biological activity. The ocean is considered to be a great source of potential drugs. Bioactive Marine Natural Products is the first book available that covers all aspects of bioactive marine natural products. It fills the void in the literature for bioactive marine natural products. The book covers various aspects of marine natural products and it is hoped that all the major classes of bioactive compounds are included. Different classes of marine organisms and the separation and isolation techniques are discussed. The chemistry and biology of marine toxins, peptides, alkaloids, nucleosides and prostanoids are discussed in detail. Biological, toxicological and clinical evaluations are also dealt with to ensure that the book may be adopted at any stage by any practicing organic chemist or biologist, working in academia or in R&D divisions of pharmaceutical companies. Each chapter in the book includes an abstract to highlight the major points discussed in the text and concluding remarks are given. References to books, monographs, review articles and original papers are provided at the end of each chapter. The late Sir Derek Barton, F.R.S., Nobel Laureate, writes in his foreword to the book: "all aspects of Marine natural products are treated with authority in this book. It is certain to become an internationally accepted and widely read volume on an important subject." The book can be used extensively by research scientists, teachers and students in academia, as well as by researchers in pharmaceutical companies. It also serves as an invaluable reference book for the libraries of colleges, universities, institutions, and pharmaceutical companies