Microbial Bioactives
Microbial Bioactives | Online ISSN 2209-2161
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Volume 9 Number 1 2026
REVIEWS (Open Access)
Marine Microbial Metabolites as Bioactive Reservoirs: A Systematic Synthesis of Biosynthetic Diversity and Functional Potential
Faruk Hossain 1*
Microbial Bioactives 9 (1) 1-8 https://doi.org/10.25163/microbbioacts.9110634
Submitted: 11 March 2026 Revised: 03 May 2026 Accepted: 12 May 2026 Published: 14 May 2026
Abstract
Marine microorganisms—quietly inhabiting chemically complex and often extreme environments—have, perhaps more than we fully anticipated, emerged as prolific producers of bioactive secondary metabolites. Yet, the extent to which their biosynthetic potential translates into consistent biological efficacy remains unevenly understood. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we attempted to bring some structure to this complexity by synthesizing evidence across bacterial, fungal, and cyanobacterial systems. A comprehensive literature search spanning multiple databases identified studies reporting metabolite bioactivity, biosynthetic pathways, and analytical approaches. Quantitative synthesis, conducted using random-effects models, revealed a somewhat expected—but still striking—pattern: bacterial metabolites tend to exhibit relatively consistent and reproducible bioactivity, while fungal metabolites show pronounced variability, often shaped by environmental conditions and strain-specific regulation. Cyanobacterial metabolites occupy an intermediate space, displaying moderate but biologically meaningful activity. At the same time, the analysis makes it difficult to ignore underlying challenges. Considerable heterogeneity, methodological inconsistencies, and signs of publication bias complicate direct comparisons. Still, despite these limitations, the findings point—quite convincingly—to marine microbiomes as a rich, if still underexplored, reservoir of structurally diverse and functionally significant compounds. Future progress, it seems, will depend not only on discovery but also on standardization, integration of multi-omics approaches, and a more deliberate exploration of currently overlooked microbial taxa.
Keywords: Microbial metabolites; Bacteria; Fungi; Cyanobacteria; Bioactivity
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