Looking Beyond the Terrestrial: The Potential of Seaweed Derived Bioactives to Treat Non-Communicable Diseases

Abstract

Seaweeds are a large and diverse group of marine organisms that are commonly found in the maritime regions of the world. They are an excellent source of biologically active secondary metabolites and have been shown to exhibit a wide range of therapeutic properties, including anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activities. Several Asian cultures have a strong tradition of using different varieties of seaweed extensively in cooking as well as in herbal medicines preparations. As such, seaweeds have been used to treat a wide variety of health conditions such as cancer, digestive problems, and renal disorders. Today, increasing numbers of people are adopting a “westernised lifestyle” characterised by low levels of physical exercise and excessive calorific and saturated fat intake. This has led to an increase in numbers of chronic Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus, being reported. Recently, NCDs have replaced communicable infectious diseases as the number one cause of human mortality. Current medical treatments for NCDs rely mainly on drugs that have been obtained from the terrestrial regions of the world, with the oceans and seas remaining largely an untapped reservoir for exploration. This review focuses on the potential of using seaweed derived bioactives including polysaccharides, antioxidants and fatty acids, amongst others, to treat chronic NCDs such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus.

Biochemical composition of some Egyptian seaweeds with potent nutritive and antioxidant properties

“…According to (Plaza et al, 2010) pigments help in cell communications and human health maintenance, have probable antimicrobial activities and promising applications in food and pharmaceutical fields. Also, algal carotenoids have an antioxidant activity against human diseases related to oxidative stress and cancer cells proliferation (Astorg, 1997;Collins et al, 2016). Protein, carbohydrate and lipid are the most vital biochemical constituents of algae.…”

“…Therefore, these compounds became used in food industry to protect the human body from free radicals and hinder many chronic diseases expansion. Many experimental studies strongly recommended natural sources of β-carotene to prevent the free radical-damage leading to aging progression and to inhibit cancer initiations (Astorg, 1997;Kolanjinathan et al, 2014;Collins et al, 2016).…”

“…Many seaweed species verified natural antioxidant capacity that can protect the human body from free radicals and retard the progress of many chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes and cancer (Ruberto et al, 2001;Shanab, 2007;Kokabi et al, 2013;Kolanjinathan et al, 2014;Collins et al, 2016).…”

Bioactive Peptide of Marine Origin for the Prevention and Treatment of Non-Communicable Diseases

“…Many of the NCD are strongly associated with lifestyle-related choices (unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and tobacco and alcohol use), and environmental and genetic factors [3]. The four main leading causes of NCD deaths are cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancers, respiratory diseases and diabetes [4]. In 2012, CVD was responsible for around 17.5 million deaths (46.2% of NCD deaths), while cancers around 8.2 million deaths (21.7% of NCD deaths) (Figure 1).…”

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Padina pavonica and Enteromorpha sp. from the Tunisian Mediterranean coast

“…Seaweeds are a great and varied group of freshwater and marine organisms with more than 10 000 various species described to date [2]. Marine macroalgae are capable to adapt to the extreme and changing marine environmental conditions such as temperature, salinity, radiation, nutrients and combination of oxygen and light concentration by producing secondary metabolites [3].…”