Werner E. G. Müller Libri

This book describes the discovery of molecules from unexploited extreme marine environments, and presents new approaches in marine genomics. It combines the current state of knowledge in marine genomics and advanced natural products’ chemistry to pursue the sustainable production of novel secondary metabolites (lead compounds), as well as pharmacologically active peptides/proteins, with antimicrobial, neuroprotective, anti-osteoporotic, anti-protozoan/anti-plasmodial, anti-ageing and immune-modulating effects. Further, it employs molecular-biology-based approaches and advanced chemical techniques to obtain and to select candidate compounds for pre-clinical and clinical studies.

This book summarizes the current understanding of inorganic polymers and their potential biomedical applications. Recently, these polymers have gained attention in nano-biomedicine, particularly in regenerative medicine and drug delivery, spurred by advancements in synthetic and analytical methods in nanotechnology. Notable examples include polysilicate/silica glass, such as biosilica and synthetic bioglass, and inorganic polyphosphate, which have demonstrated biomedical effects and have been tested in preclinical or clinical trials. Applications include bioglass for bone repair and tissue engineering, as well as the use of inorganic polyphosphates in food processing and dental care. While several biological and medicinal properties of these polymers have been identified, many have yet to be utilized in human treatments. Additionally, other inorganic polymers like polyarsenate and polyvanadate have only been minimally studied for their biomedical properties. The combination of inorganic polymers with organic polymeric molecules to create organic-inorganic hybrid materials offers new opportunities for developing materials with unique properties and diverse applications in nanomedicine.

Sponges (phylum Porifera) are known to be very rich sources for bioactive compounds, mainly secondary metabolites. Main efforts are devoted to cell- and mariculture of sponges to assure a sustainable exploitation of bioactive compounds from biological starting material. These activities are flanked by improved technologies to cultivate bacteria and fungi which are associated with the sponges. It is the hope that by elucidating the strategies of interaction between microorganisms and their host (sponge), by modern cell and molecular biological methods, a more comprehensive cultivation of the symbiotic organisms will be possible. The next step in the transfer of knowledge to biotechnological applications is the isolation, characterization and structural determination of the bioactive compounds by sophisticated chemical approaches.

During evolution silica deposition has been used in Protozoa, Metazoa and in plants as skeletal elements. It appears that the mechanisms for the formation of biogenic silica have evolved independently in these three taxa. In Protozoa and plants biosilicification appears to be primarily driven by non-enzymatic processes and procedes on organic matrices. In contrast, in sponges (phylum Porifera) this process is mediated by enzymes; the initiation of this process is likewise dependent on organic matrices. In this monograph the role of biosilica as stabilizing structures in different organisms is reviewed and their role for morphogenetic processes is outlined. It provides an up-to-date summary of the mechanisms by which polymeric biosilica is formed. The volume is intended for biologists, biochemists and molecular biologists, involved in the understanding of structure formation in living organisms and will also be very useful for scientists working in the field of applied Nanotechnology and Nanobiotechnology.