Chemistry, Biosynthesis, and Biological Activity of Halogenated Compounds Produced by Marine Microorganisms

Comprehensive Summary Natural products derived from marine microorganisms have been received great attention as a potential source of new compound entities for drug discovery. The unique marine environment brings us a large group of halogen‐containing natural products with abundant biological functionality and good drugability. Meanwhile, biosynthetically halogenated reactions are known as a significant strategy used to increase the pharmacological activities and pharmacokinetic properties of compounds. Given that a tremendous increase in the number of new halogenated compounds from marine microorganisms in the last five years, it is necessary to summarize these compounds with their diverse structures and promising bioactivities. In this review, we have summarized the chemistry, biosynthesis (related halogenases), and biological activity of a total of 316 naturally halogenated compounds from marine microorganisms covering the period of 2015 to May 2021. Those reviewed chlorinated and brominated compounds with the ratio of 9 : 1 were predominantly originated from 36 genera of fungi (62%) and 9 bacterial strains (38%) with cytotoxic, antibacterial, and enzyme inhibitory activities, structural types of which are polyketides (38%), alkaloids (27%), phenols (11%), and others. This review would provide a plenty variety of promising lead halogenated compounds for drug discovery and inspire the development of new pharmaceutical agents.