Review: Chemical and biological features of genus Paralemnalia soft corals

Marine soft corals are plentiful sources of a wide range of natural products. They include an extensive array of chemical scaffolds that could eventually be utilized to develop novel drugs for human diseases due to the extraordinary diversity and number of bioactive small molecules identified from these animals. Soft corals belonging to the Paralemnalia genus (order Alcyonacea) are widely distributed throughout the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean. Numerous chemical components have been isolated and identified, including mainly sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, steroids, and fatty acids. Some compounds have been shown to exhibit various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, neuroprotective, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. However, no reviews have been published focusing on this genus until now. Here in this review, we attempt to delve into the reported metabolites from genus Paralemnalia according to the produced species, their chemical structures, and their biological potential.