Bioactive glycerolipids: news from the borders

Glycerolipids represent a large group of widely occurring molecules including triglycerides, glycolipids and phospholipids that exert many different primary roles in living cells, from membrane structural components to energy storage and signaling. However, species specific metabolites containing a glycerolipid based structure have been isolating from invertebrates and microorganisms whose function in the producers sometimes is still not clear while a perspective in their pharmacological applications in human diseases could be delineated. In the course of our continuous research on marine organisms aiming at identification and development of new drug leads, we came across a number of derivatives that share a glycerolipid core and intriguing different bioactivities. Here we present few examples of these lipids isolated from marine sponges and microalgae that promise potential application as therapeutic agents in cancer, immune disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The presentation will discuss the chemistry of these natural compounds, that reserve challenges behind the apparent simplicity of their carbon skeletons, along with the methodology used for their synthetic analogues and results of a targeted biological screening.