爲了人類之福祉,海洋水產資源之間發利用,最近爲各國所重視。其中海洋生物毒和生理活性物質最引人注目,本文就國內外因海洋資源引起食物中毒之毒素加以說明,這方面包含了河魨毒、麻痹性貝毒、熱帶性海魚毒、下痢生貝毒、記憶健忘症貝毒和草魚膽毒等。其次,海洋生物種類繁多,因而生產了多采多姿之生理活性物質,這些海洋天然物經人類多年來之探索,做爲醫農祭品之素材已有部分成果,如laminine、α-kainic acid、nereistoxin和taurine等數種天然物;另外,對較具抗腫瘤活性之海洋天然物亦做說明,以期促進國人探討海洋生物毒和生理活性物質之興趣。
Recently, some countries have focused on the available ultilization of marine resources. This has re-suited in the occurrence of food poisoning incidents caused by marine toxins and the development of new biochemical resources such as drugs and pharmacological reagents. In Taiwan, tetrodotoxin, paralytic shellfish poison and ciguateric toxins are well known as notorious agents to induce severe food poisoning. But other causative agents including diarrhetic shellfish poison, domoic acid, brevetoxin and neosurugatoxin have occasionally occurred in other countries. Some agents including laminine, kainic acid, holotoxin and nereistoxin have long been applied as useful drugs. Meanwhile, attempts have recently made to develop useful drugs by screening marine organisms for pharmacologically active substances, e.g., antitumor, antibacterial, hemolytic, analgetic, antispasmodic, hypotensive and hypertensive agents. Among them, some of the substances possessing antitumor activities are selectively discussed in this review.