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Properties of Violacein: A Promising Natural Pharmaceutical Secondary Metabolite from Marine Environment with Emphasis on Its Anticancer Activity

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Marine Bioactive Molecules for Biomedical and Pharmacotherapeutic Applications

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Abstract

Violacein, an indole-derived purple color natural pigment, has been reported from bacteria Janthinobacterium lividum, Chromobacterium violaceum, Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea, and Collimonas isolated from seawater, marine sponges, and coral reefs. It is formed by the condensation of two molecules of tryptophan. Factors like carbon source, pH, temperature, rate of agitation, and incubation time are known to affect violacein production. It exhibits extensive biological properties such as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antinematodal properties. It is an antioxidant in nature. It has immunomodulatory and anticancer activities, making it a promising natural pharmaceutical agent. Understanding violacein’s function and mechanism of action has relevance to those displaying its therapeutic benefits. Violacein displayed anticancer activity in different types of cancers such as breast, colon, prostate, melanoma, lung, cervical, ovarian, central nervous, and renal cancers. Violacein can be established as a reliable natural drug efficient in causing apoptosis in cancerous cells and slowing down the proliferation rate of tumor cells by regulating the expressions of the cell cycle and tumor suppressor proteins. This review describes various pharmaceutical properties of violacein, highlighting its anticancer activities.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are thankful to Haribhai V. Desai College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune, Maharashtra, India, affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), for constant support in the completion of the present Springer book chapter.

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The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this article.

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  1. Department of Microbiology, Haribhai V. Desai College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune, India

    Yogini Kanade, Rajashree Patwardhan & Pragati Abhyankar

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  1. Department of Biotechnology, Krishna University, Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Pallaval Veera Bramhachari

  2. Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Goa University, Panaji, Goa, India

    Chanda Vikrant Berde

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Kanade, Y., Patwardhan, R., Abhyankar, P. (2023). Properties of Violacein: A Promising Natural Pharmaceutical Secondary Metabolite from Marine Environment with Emphasis on Its Anticancer Activity. In: Veera Bramhachari, P., Berde, C.V. (eds) Marine Bioactive Molecules for Biomedical and Pharmacotherapeutic Applications. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6770-4_11

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