Recent Advances in Marine-Based Nutraceuticals and Their Health Benefits

Abstract

The oceans have been the Earth’s most valuable source of food. They have now also become a valuable and versatile source of bioactive compounds. The significance of marine organisms as a natural source of new substances that may contribute to the food sector and the overall health of humans are expanding. This review is an update on the recent studies of functional seafood compounds (chitin and chitosan, pigments from algae, fish lipids and omega-3 fatty acids, essential amino acids and bioactive proteins/peptides, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, and minerals) focusing on their potential use as nutraceuticals and health benefits.

A novel angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptide derived from the trypsin hydrolysates of salmon bone proteins

“…Furthermore, fish are also a key source of minerals such as iron, copper, and zinc, which are needed for the hormones and enzymes to function effectively. The bones do, however, carry a greater proportion of ash than any other part of the body, and this value may also be indicative of the bone powder purity [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Advances in Technologies for Highly Active Omega-3 Fatty Acids from Krill Oil: Clinical Applications

“…One of the most important minor components of krill oil is represented by astaxanthin, a carotenoid that has been characterized in different algae and marine animals [36]. This compound is responsible for the typical dark red color of krill oil and is endowed with potent antioxidant properties, even more than other carotenoids such as zeaxanthin, lutein, canthaxanthin, β-carotene and α-tocopherol [37].…”

Marine Animal-Derived Compounds and Autophagy Modulation in Breast Cancer Cells

“…The contribution of marine vertebrates to the food, biomedical, and pharmaceutical sectors has been mainly provided by fish oils, containing long-chain ω−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, essential aminoacids, and bioactive peptides exerting antioxidant, anti-allergic, and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory effects. On the other hand, the processing of by-products of fish, shrimps, crabs, and squids have also been proven to be abundant sources of chitin, lipids, and proteins, granting a number of beneficial properties such as being antimicrobial, anticancer, and anticoagulant, among others [24,25].…”

“…This organism proved to be a good source of araguspongine/xestospongine alkaloids, dimeric 2,9-disubstituted 1-oxaquinolizidines that have been shown to possess a variety of pharmacological activities [51,52]. In 2015, Akl et al [53] reported that araguspongine C ((1R,8R,10S,15R,22R,29S)-9,30-dioxa-11,25-diazapentacyclo[20.6.2.2 8,11 .0 10,15 .0 25,29 ]dotriacontane-1,15-diol; Figure 8) exerted an antiproliferative effect on a panel of breast cancer cell lines in culture. More detailed analyses aimed at identifying the cause of the accumulation of vacuoles in BT-474 breast tumor cells revealed the dose-dependent ability of araguspongine C to stimulate autophagy, as revealed by the increase in the accumulation of fluorescent autophagosomes and the upregulation of the total protein levels of LC3, Beclin-1, and ATG-5, -7, and -16L1.…”