Brominated Molecules From Marine Algae and Their Pharmacological Importance

Abstract Macroalgae or seaweeds are the most abundant marine species occurring all over the world in all kinds of habitats. For several decades, the significance of organic metabolites isolated from marine algae has been demonstrated by their role in drug discovery and applications in clinical trials. The marine environment is a rich source of naturally occurring halogenated compounds. Many marine algae show exceptional biochemistry in the synthesis of brominated organic compounds such as bromophenols, bromoindoles, bromopyrroles, bromoterpenes, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PDBEs). Some of these compounds have been reported to have intriguing biochemical properties such as antibacterial, antifungal, and antihistamine activities. The brominated aromatic core containing compounds discussed in this chapter includes substituted diphenyl ethers, bromophenols, benzaldehyde, bromonaphthalene, and indoles. These molecules were reported to have a range of biological activities such as anticancer, antimicrobial, antioxidant, aldose reductase inhibition, etc. PDBE derivatives have also been reported to inhibit enzymes implicated in tumor development and antisclerotic plaque which indicate their potential as promising therapeutic agents. Moreover, 84 brominated terpenes isolated from various marine algae have been summarized along with their biological properties. Most of the terpenes were evaluated for anticancer activities against different human cancer cell lines. Overall this chapter presents a broad survey of bioactive brominated organic molecules isolated from marine algae around the world, as well as literature from 2005 to present day.