ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic disorders of the endocrine system characterized by hyperglycemia, and it has affected humans worldwide. In recent years DM has been attributed to human lifestyle habits and there has been a growing interest in searching for new bioactive compounds to treat DM, including metabolites of marine milieu. For the past 15 years, numerous marine compounds have been isolated and screened for potential diabetes-controlling properties. Several aquatic organisms have been screened to evaluate their possible diabetes-fighting activities, such as bacteria, microalgae, macroalgae, seagrasses, sponges, corals, sea anemones, fish, salmon skin, and a shark fusion protein, as well as fish and shellfish wastes. By acting on cell proliferation and development cycle, and by modulating different metabolic pathways considered as marine in origin, marine polysaccharides have demonstrated numerous pharmaceutical activities, including, for example, antioxidative, antibacterial, antiviral, immunostimulatory, anticoagulant, and anticancer (antineoplastic) properties. Moreover, these polysaccharides have many general beneficial effects for human health and have therefore been developed into potential cosmeceutical and nutraceutical agents. In this chapter we have described the current state-of-the-art in the development of marine polysaccharides in the fields of nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and pharmacological applications.
