Häder DP (2020)
Publication Type: Book chapter / Article in edited volumes
Publication year: 2020
Publisher: Elsevier
Edited Volumes: Natural Bioactive Compounds: Technological Advancements
ISBN: 9780128206553
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-820655-3.00019-7
Coral reefs cover only a small fraction of the marine habitats in the tropics and subtropics, but they harbor 25% of all marine species and about one-third of all marine fish. Coral reefs offer a plethora of natural products. In addition to coral blocks, rubble, and sand for building, corals produce organic substances such as arsenic compounds that serve as repellent for other reef-dwelling organisms. Both the corals and their zooxanthellae symbionts produce UV-absorbing substances such as mycosporine-like amino acids which can be utilized in suntan lotions. Other organisms in coral reef habitats include bacteria, algae, sponges, and many other taxa. They are a tremendous source of novel unexplored bioactive compounds with possible roles as pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements, enzymes, pesticides, and cosmetics. Several compounds are useful in cancer therapy and painkiller medicine; there are antiviral and anticancer drugs. A second group of corals comprise gorgonians, sea fans, and sea whips which are cold-water organisms growing to depths exceeding 2000 m. Gorgonians produce a large number of uncommon metabolites such as prostaglandins, sterols, terpenes, and cembranoides such as sarcophine. While the biological functions of most of these compounds are not yet clear, several have been found to posses toxic, antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antineoplastic, or neurophysiological effects.
APA:
Häder, D.-P. (2020). Bioreactive substances from coral reefs and gorgonians. In Rajeshwar p. Sinha, Donat-P Häder (Eds.), Natural Bioactive Compounds: Technological Advancements. Elsevier.
MLA:
Häder, Donat-Peter. "Bioreactive substances from coral reefs and gorgonians." Natural Bioactive Compounds: Technological Advancements. Ed. Rajeshwar p. Sinha, Donat-P Häder, Elsevier, 2020.
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