Marine-sponges-Scholarly Journal

Marine-sponges-Scholarly Journal

Sponges (phylum Porifera) are sessile marine filter feeders that have developed efficient defense mechanisms against foreign attackers such as viruses, bacteria, or eukaryotic organisms. Marine sponges are among the richest sources of pharmacologically-active chemicals from marine organisms. It is suggested that (at least) some of the bioactive secondary metabolites isolated from sponges are produced by functional enzyme clusters, which originated from the sponges and their associated microorganisms. More than 5,300 different products are known from sponges and their associated microorganisms, and more than 200 new metabolites from sponges are reported each year. As infectious microorganisms evolve and develop resistance to existing pharmaceuticals, the marine sponge provides novel leads against bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic diseases. Sponges are multicellular, heterotrophic parazoan organisms, characterized by the possession of unique feeding system among the animals. They are the most primitive types of animals in existence, featuring a cell-based organization where different cells have different tasks, but do not form tissues. Sponges (Porifera) are a predominantly marine phylum living from the intertidal to the abyssal (deepest ocean) zone. There are approximately 8500 described species of sponges worldwide with a prominent role in many reef coral communities. Several ecological studies reported have shown that secondary metabolites isolated from sponges often serve defensive purposes to protect them from threats such as predator attacks, biofouling, microbial infections, and overgrowth by other sessile organisms. In the recent years, interest in marine sponges has risen considerably due to presence of high number of interesting biologically active natural products.


Last Updated on: Nov 28, 2024

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