Bioactive natural derivatives of phthalate ester

The advantages and emergent interest in organism-derived bioactive molecules have recently renewed scientific research attention in this field. Since 1967, about 52 different derivatives of phthalate ester (PE) have been reported from different taxonomic groups. Anthropogenic derivatives of the PEs are confined to petroleum products, as a plasticizer. These derivatives exhibit a potential toxicity on the living system, particularly those having a reduced molecular weight. An organism-derived PE differs chemically from that of synthetic ones in terms of the abundance of ¹⁴C and its bond structure, leading to its varied activities in the biological system. The study of the biosynthetic pathway and the optimization of parameters for product enhancement have advocated their organism-derived nature. Various bioactivities of such organisms-derived derivatives of phthalates such as antibacterial, antifungal, an inducer of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, antioxidant, cytotoxic, antitumor, allopathic, larvicidal, antifouling, chemotactic, antimelanogenic, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activities have been well documented. This is the first review that focuses on the positive bioactivities of such organism-derived PEs in detail. There is enormous scope for research in this field to search for the utilization of such organism-derived phthalate derivatives will have potential bioactivity, their possible use to improve their efficacy.