Marine natural products research in Mauritius: Progress and challenges

Over the past 40 years, there have been few reports describing marine natural product chemistry and related research from Mauritius. These came out from expeditions starting in the early 1970s by research groups of Dr. Petitt from the University of Arizona, followed by a latent phase to re-emerge as an area of potential scientific interest in early 2000s by investigation of the research group of Dr. Marie from the Mauritius Oceanography Institute. The natural product chemistry of Mauritius marine flora and fauna is relatively unknown and this review provides an overview of the contribution made by several groups towards the isolation, identification and bioactivity determination of these marine-derived natural products. The marine organisms reviewed include invertebrates, plants and microorganisms, emphasizing the biodiversity found in the vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius.