Exploration of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Marine Fungi along Turkey’s Coast
5th International Conference on Applied Biotechnology – ICAB, Thessaloniki, Yunanistan, 28 - 29 Eylül 2026, ss.72, (Özet Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Thessaloniki
- Basıldığı Ülke: Yunanistan
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.72
- Lokman Hekim Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The marine environment is an abundant source of both biological and chemical diversity and has become a major reservoir for the discovery of
secondary metabolites with potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry (Martins et al., 2014). Marine natural products (NPs) represent
highly promising sources of lead and inspirational molecules for drug discovery. The probability of developing clinically useful drugs from
marine NPs is greater than that of many other compound sources. Advances in sampling approaches, including the exploration of microbial
symbionts, the cultivation of previously inaccessible microorganisms such as slow-growing bacteria from oligotrophic environments, and the
investigation of novel habitats such as the deep sea, have facilitated the discovery of new and underexplored classes of natural products. Over
27,000 marine-derived natural products have been identified in the literature. Approximately 1,000 new marine-derived compounds are
identified each year (Carroll et al., 2026). According to the Marine Pharmacology database, as of 2026, there will be 17 approved drugs in the
marine-derived pharmaceutical development pipeline, with a total of 29 compounds in clinical development. Of these compounds, 4 are in Phase
III, 10 are in Phase II, and 15 are in Phase I clinical trials (Mayer, 2026). Primarily targeting cancer, pain, and inflammatory diseases, several
have already been marketed.
Marine invertebrates attract significant attention due to their production of unique natural compounds such as unusual nucleosides, terpenes,
sterols, peptides, alkaloids, fatty acids, peroxides, and amino acid derivatives (El-Seedi et al., 2025).
Marine-derived fungi have emerged as a promising source for the discovery of novel secondary metabolites with pharmaceutical potential. Over
the past decades, this area has gained increasing interest among researchers worldwide (Colarusso et al., 2025).
Türkiye, with a coastline of approximately 8,400 km, hosts remarkable marine biodiversity. Despite this rich marine ecosystem, studies on
biologically active compounds derived from Turkish marine organisms remain limited. During our investigations of Turkish marine species and
their associated fungi, including sponges, tunicates, soft corals, and other marine invertebrates, we isolated and elucidated the structures of
various secondary metabolites. As part of our search for bioactive secondary metabolites from Turkish marine sources, these samples and
isolated compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities.
Our findings demonstrate that marine souces and marine-derived fungi associated with Türkiye’s coastal ecosystems represent a largely
unexplored source of bioactive natural products with considerable pharmaceutical potential.