marine drugs Review Secondary Metabolites of the Genus Didemnum: A Comprehensive Review of Chemical Diversity and Pharmacological Properties Diaa T. A. Youssef 1,2,* , Hadeel Almagthali 1,3, Lamiaa A. Shaala 4,5,6 and Eric W. Schmidt 7,* 1 Department of Natural Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
[email protected] 2 Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt 3 Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, Al-Haweiah 21974, Saudi Arabia 4 Natural Products Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
[email protected] 5 Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia 6 Suez Canal University Hospital, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt 7 Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA * Correspondence:
[email protected] (D.T.A.Y.);
[email protected] (E.W.S.); Tel.: +966-548-535-344 (D.T.A.Y.); +1-801-585-5234 (E.W.S.) Received: 10 May 2020; Accepted: 9 June 2020; Published: 11 June 2020 Abstract: Tunicates (ascidians) are common marine invertebrates that are an exceptionally important source of natural products with biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, including compounds that are used clinically in cancers. Among tunicates, the genus Didemnum is important because it includes the most species, and it belongs to the most speciose family (Didemnidae). The genus Didemnum includes the species D. molle, D. chartaceum, D. albopunctatum, and D. obscurum, as well as others, which are well known for their chemically diverse secondary metabolites.