Therapeutic potential of marine sponge–derived bioactive compounds: a review

Abstract

Marine sponges are considered repositories of bioactive secondary metabolites with therapeutic potential, opening prospects for their application in biotechnology, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and the food industry. Marine sponges are among the most primitive multicellular animals and have existed on Earth for more than 700–800 million years. Currently, marine sponges are classified into four classes, 25 orders, 128 families, and 680 genera. Several studies have shown that sponge-bacteria interactions are important for the production of potential bioactive metabolites in sponges. The biologically active compounds of sea sponges contain a variety of components, including alkaloids, terpenes, lipids, proteins, collagen, natural pigments, and other substances. Marine sponges are excellent producers of bioactive compounds with diverse biological activities, including anticancer, antibacterial, immunomodulatory, antioxidative, antiviral, and enzyme-inhibiting properties. A wide range of molecular and analytical techniques is now available to study the ecological and evolutionary genetics of marine sponges. Nevertheless, while some general patterns have been identified, further investigation is required to understand how sponge population structure varies across environments and which factors influence the accumulation of bioactive substances. Thus, the review concludes that to fully utilize marine and freshwater sponges as a source of valuable organic substances, additional research in this area is required, specifically to study their physiological processes and basic substance metabolism. Furthermore, research is required to develop more straightforward methods for cultivating the object of study.