ABSTRACT

Marine organisms are rich sources of structurally diverse bioactive compounds with various beneficial biological activities that promote good health. The importance of marine organisms as a source of novel bioactive substances is growing rapidly. With marine species comprising approximately one half of the total global biodiversity, the sea offers an enormous resource for novel compounds. Moreover, different kinds of substances have been procured from marine organisms, because they live in an exigent, competitive, and aggressive surrounding, which is different in many aspects from the terrestrial environment, a situation that demands the production of specific and potent active molecules. Among them, sterols had been reported as potential bioactive compounds.