What marine animals are used for medicine?
Pseudopterosins: Extracted from the octocoral (sea whip) Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae; anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents that reduce swelling and skin irritation and accelerate wound healing. w-conotoxin MVIIA: Extracted from the cone snail, Conus magnus; potent pain-killer.
What medicines are made from the ocean?
Some of the drugs of marine origin approved for human use in different parts of the world are as follows:
- Cytarabine (cytosine arabinoside or arabinosyl cytosine, ara-C)
- Vidarabine (adenine arabinoside, ara-A or arabinofuranosyladenine)
- Ziconotide.
- Trabectedin.
How is the ocean used for medicine?
The ocean – with its amazing biodiversity – offers many more organisms for scientists to discover and develop new medicines. NOAA scientists have been collecting and studying sponges, corals, and other marine organisms. In order to make these new antibiotics, scientists make copies of these chemicals in a laboratory.
How many medicines come from the ocean?
Over the past 30 years, scientists have extracted at least 20,000 new biochemical substances from marine creatures. Dozens have reached clinical trials; a handful may soon be reviewed by the FDA for possible approval.
What medicines come from coral reefs?
The antiviral drugs Ara-A and AZT and the anticancer agent Ara-C, developed from extracts of sponges found on a Caribbean reef, were among the earliest modern medicines obtained from coral reefs.
For which purposes are marine animals used?
The forms in which these are used are varied like extracted juices, decoctions, infusions, distillates, powders, tablets, pills, confections, syrups, fermented liquids, medicated oil, bhasmas (ash) and many more5, 6.
What purpose do marine animals use?
What are the medicinal uses of coral reefs?
Coral reefs are sometimes considered the medicine cabinets of the 21st century. Coral reef plants and animals are important sources of new medicines being developed to treat cancer, arthritis, human bacterial infections, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, viruses, and other diseases.
What percent of medicine comes from coral reefs?
Corals that Cure 40-50 percent of our pharmaceuticals come from natural resources, mostly terrestrial and often found in rainforests. Currently under-represented, marine compounds have the potential to make up a large part of these pharmaceuticals.
What happens to dead animals in sea?
As mentioned, the ocean can be a brutal place, and smaller organisms that die and begin their long sink to the bottom will likely be consumed or snatched up by predators or scavengers before they even hit the floor.
How are marine resources used in medicine?
The enormous ecological resources of the sea have been exploited since ancient times and included the use of marine animals like fish and preparations from algae as the sources of medicine. Fish oils are the classic example of marine-derived product in use since ages.
What chemicals are produced by marine animals used in medicine?
Some chemicals produced by marine animals that may be useful in treating human diseases include: Ecteinascidin: Extracted from tunicates; being tested in humans for treatment of breast and ovarian cancers and other solid tumors Discodermalide: Extracted from deep-sea sponges belonging to the genus Discodermia; anti-tumor agent
What do we know about marine invertebrates about drug development?
Systematic searches for new drugs have shown that marine invertebrates produce more antibiotic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory substances than any group of terrestrial organisms. Particularly promising invertebrate groups include sponges, tunicates, ascidians, bryozoans, octocorals, and some molluscs, annelids, and echinoderms.
What is the scope of marine pharmacology?
These aquatic organisms are screened for antibacterial, immunomodulator, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, analgesic, and antimalarial properties. They are used for new drug developments extensively across the world. Marine pharmacology offers the scope for research on these drugs of marine origin.