Secondary metabolites from cyanobacteria: source, chemistry, bioactivities, biosynthesis and total synthesis

Abstract

Cyanobacteria are an important source of structurally diverse natural products with excellent biological activities. Until now, amounts of cyanobacteria-derived secondary metabolites have been isolated and most of them have potential applications in a broad spectrum of fields. This review summarizes the source, chemical structures and bioactivities of 520 new compounds obtained from cyanobacteria, most of which are from genus Microcystis, Nostoc, and Moorea, published between 2012 and 2022. The structures of these compounds include peptides, polyketides, amides, terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids and others, among which peptides account for 61.5% of them. Moreover, many compounds display various bioactivities, including cytotoxicity, enzyme inbibition, antibacterial, antimalarial, antitrypanosomal, anti-inflammatory activity, etc. We also summarized the biosynthesis and total synthesis of some representative secondary metabolites from cyanobacteria. In our opinion, these pharmacologically active metabolites with interesting structural diversity will provide medical and chemical researchers with a plenty variety of promising lead compounds from cyanobacteria.

Graphical abstract