Abstract:
Many marine invertebrates have a use in medicine. The blood of horseshoe crabs is very useful for determining the presence of a pathogen, which is very helpful in the medical field. Corals create many chemicals for defense that can be used in the medical field to make medicine.
Research:
Horseshoe Crab Blood:
Horseshoe crabs are marine Arthropods which are not actually crustaceans. Despite their name, they are actually closer related to spiders, scorpions and ticks than crabs.
Many marine invertebrates have a use in medicine. The blood of horseshoe crabs is very useful for determining the presence of a pathogen, which is very helpful in the medical field. Corals create many chemicals for defense that can be used in the medical field to make medicine.
Research:
Horseshoe Crab Blood:
Horseshoe crabs are marine Arthropods which are not actually crustaceans. Despite their name, they are actually closer related to spiders, scorpions and ticks than crabs.
Horseshoe crabs have very different blood from humans. Their blood uses hemocyanin to carry oxygen through their blood. Due to the presence of copper in hemocyanin, their blood is blue. Their blood is very valuable because it contains amebocytes, which play a similar role to the white blood cells of vertebrates. Scientists use the amebocytes for the detection of bacterial endotoxins in medical applications. The way that the amebocyte works is that when it comes in contact with a dangerous pathogen, it clots the blood to isolate the pathogen.
The presence of endotoxins in drugs, needles, or anything that comes into contact with human blood is a serious problem. Researchers used to give rabbits a sample of whatever material or substance they were interested in and observe them for hours to see if their immune system reacted, implying the presence of endotoxins. But the amebocytes in horseshoe blood were a game changer—instead of conducting time-consuming tests on rabbits, horseshoe crab amebocytes could be added to a sample of a substance. If the sample started to clot, then endotoxins were there.
The presence of endotoxins in drugs, needles, or anything that comes into contact with human blood is a serious problem. Researchers used to give rabbits a sample of whatever material or substance they were interested in and observe them for hours to see if their immune system reacted, implying the presence of endotoxins. But the amebocytes in horseshoe blood were a game changer—instead of conducting time-consuming tests on rabbits, horseshoe crab amebocytes could be added to a sample of a substance. If the sample started to clot, then endotoxins were there.
Coral Reefs:
Coral are invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They live in compact colonies and form coral reefs. Coral reefs are their own ecosystem and are home to millions of species.
Coral are invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They live in compact colonies and form coral reefs. Coral reefs are their own ecosystem and are home to millions of species.
Coral and other organisms in coral reefs are an important source of new medicines being developed to treat many diseases and infections, which is why they are often referred to as medicine chests or medicine cabinets of the sea. Since coral are stationary animals, many have evolved chemical defenses to protect themselves from predators. Soft coral, in particular, have been found to possess compounds that could be used to treat various types of cancer. A study published in 2013 in the journal Marine Drugs titled, Secosteroids and Norcembranoids from the Soft Coral Sinularia nanolobata, details how two steroid compounds found in soft corals might be used to treat diseases. Researchers isolated these steroids from soft corals and performed various experiments on human cytomegalovirus, mouse lymphocytic leukemia, human colon adenocarcinoma and human lung carcinoma. Their successful experiments have paved the way for continued experimentation on how soft corals can be used for life saving drugs.
Conclusion:
The medical uses of marine invertebrates are endless and as more experiments are done, there will be more uses in the future. There are a lot of unknown organisms that could be very useful and possibly give us the cure to some terrible diseases.
The medical uses of marine invertebrates are endless and as more experiments are done, there will be more uses in the future. There are a lot of unknown organisms that could be very useful and possibly give us the cure to some terrible diseases.