Halogenated Compounds from Corals: Chemical Diversity and Biological Activities.

As important marine biological resources, corals produce a large amount of active organic compounds in their secondary metabolic processes, including numerous brominated, chlorinated, and iodinated compounds. These compounds, with novel structures and unique activities, guide the discovery and research of important lead compounds and novel biological mechanisms. Through large numbers of literature survey, this paper summarized a total of 145 halogenated secondary metabolites which were roughly divided into four major classes of terpenes, prostaglandins, steroids and alkaloids. And they were mainly isolated from ten coral families, Ellisellidae, Gorgoniidae, Briareidae, Plexauridae, Anthothelidae, Alcyoniidae, Clavularidae, Tubiporidae, Nephtheidae and Dendrophyllidae at the best of our knowledge. In addition, their organism species, structure composition and biological activity were also discussed in the form of chart in this essay.