Marine gorgonian organisms are a prolific source of novel biologically active products called the pseudopterosins, which exhibit a range of biomedical activities. For decades, extensive research on the psedopterosins has led to incremental advancements in documenting their biosynthetic and mechanistic pathways culminating in their classification as superior anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents. Discovery of their anti-inflammatory properties has led to studies examining their usefulness in various inflammatory conditions ranging from rheumatoid arthritis and asthma to psoriasis, contact dermatitis, photodamage, and dermatoheliosis, as well as HIV and cancer. Of interest, their anti-inflammatory and analgesic potencies have been shown to be superior to the industry standard indometha-cin in a concentration and dose dependent fashion.1'34 Hence, the pseudopterosins hold promise as novel anti-inflammatory compounds and they may prove a viable alternative to conventional therapies in preventing and treating inflammatory disorders involving the skin and other organ systems.
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