Marine Sourced Bioactive Steroidal Compounds as Potential Cytotoxic Agents against Various Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

To exploit the potential of the natural flora and fauna, it is urgent to study and unravel full chemical mysteries hidden in our vast natural diversity. Natural resources consist of large forest areas in diverse climatic zones, and also of the sea coast. Ocean covers 71% of the earth surface. Inspite of that, number of species on land is much higher than the oceans. About 16% of world’s species lives in oceans, 80% on land and remaining lives in fresh water. There is a great need to expand the capabilities in these sea areas to remain globally relevant. More in-depth study, especially on deep-sea natural products, needs to be carried out to solidify the research on the potential for marine organisms to contribute to the future of drug discovery. Many potential drugs and lead compounds are discovered from the marine organisms. The present study is an attempt to summarize current marine sourced bioactive steroidal compounds as potential cytotoxic agents.