Unexplored potential: Biologically active compounds produced by microorganisms from hard-to-reach environments and their applications
Abstract
Rapid development of antibiotic resistance of bacteria and fungi, as well as cancer drug resistance, has become a global medical problem. Therefore, alternative methods of treatment are considered. Studies of recent years have focused on finding new biologically active compounds that may be effective against drug-resistant cells. High biodiversity of hard-to-reach environments offers sources to search for novel molecules potentially applicable for medical purposes. In this review article, we summarize and discuss compounds produced by microorganisms from hot springs, glaciers, caves, underground lakes, marine ecosystems, and hydrothermal vents. Antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant potential of these molecules are presented and discussed. We conclude that using compounds derived from microorganisms occurring in extreme environments might be considered in further studies on development of treatment procedures for diseases caused by drug-resistant cells.
Copyright (c) 2021 Zuzanna Cyske, Weronika Jaroszewicz, Magdalena Żabińska, Patryk Lorenc, Maja Sochocka, Patrycja Bielańska, Łukasz Grabowski, Lidia Gaffke, Karolina Pierzynowska, Grzegorz Węgrzyn

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Acta Biochimica Polonica is an open access quarterly and publishes four issues a year. All contents are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. Everybody may use the content following terms: Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made, ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. There are no additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Copyright for all published papers © stays with the authors.
Copyright for the journal: © Polish Biochemical Society.