marine drugs Review Marine Terpenoids from Polar Latitudes and Their Potential Applications in Biotechnology Laura Núñez-Pons 1, Andrew Shilling 2, Cinzia Verde 3,4, Bill J. Baker 2,* and Daniela Giordano 3,4,* 1 Department of Integrated Marine Ecology (EMI), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN), Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy;
[email protected] 2 Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA;
[email protected] 3 Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR), CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy;
[email protected] 4 Department of Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN), Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy * Correspondence:
[email protected] (B.J.B.);
[email protected] (D.G.) Received: 25 June 2020; Accepted: 25 July 2020; Published: 29 July 2020 Abstract: Polar marine biota have adapted to thrive under one of the ocean’s most inhospitable scenarios, where extremes of temperature, light photoperiod and ice disturbance, along with ecological interactions, have selected species with a unique suite of secondary metabolites. Organisms of Arctic and Antarctic oceans are prolific sources of natural products, exhibiting wide structural diversity and remarkable bioactivities for human applications. Chemical skeletons belonging to terpene families are the most commonly found compounds, whereas cytotoxic antimicrobial properties, the capacity to prevent infections, are the most widely reported activities from these environments. This review firstly summarizes the regulations on access and benefit sharing requirements for research in polar environments. Then it provides an overview of the natural product arsenal from Antarctic and Arctic marine organisms that displays promising uses for fighting human disease.