Bioactive Metabolites from Marine Ascidians: Future Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that influences communication and behavior. Numerous researches propose that genes can act together with manipulations from the environment to affect development in ways that lead to ASD. The broad range of issues facing people with ASD means that there is no single proper drug and treatment for ASD. Numerous shortcomings associated with the present conventional therapeutic strategies have forced researchers to venture into alternative natural sources for effective compounds. The marine environment has emerged as an alternate search environment due to its versatile conditions where organisms employ various biodefense mechanisms for their survival. Ascidians are an excellent source for unique bioactive compounds with nutritive and therapeutic content and it still holds credit for being an underused source from marine animals. Bioactive compounds isolated from ascidians have various commendable biomedical applications due to their unique chemical structures. The present chapter will focus on the potential of bioactive compounds derived from ascidians for the treatment of the neurologic disorder-ASD.

Keywords: Alkaloids; Ascidians; Autism spectrum disorder; Marine environment; Neuroprotection.