Current Status of Indole-Derived Marine Natural Products: Synthetic Approaches and Therapeutic Applications

Abstract

Indole is a versatile pharmacophore widely distributed in bioactive natural products. This privileged scaffold has been found in a variety of molecules isolated from marine organisms such as algae and sponges. Among these, indole alkaloids represent one of the biggest, most promising family of compounds, having shown a wide range of pharmacological properties including antiinflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer activities. The aim of this review is to show the current scenario of marine indole alkaloid derivatives, covering not only the most common chemical structures but also their promising therapeutic applications as well as the new general synthetic routes developed during the last years.