ABSTRACT
In recent years, there has been a great awareness about the association among food, health and disease management, which has consequently directed research on the development of functional foods. In this context, much attention has been given to marine nutraceuticals in the last few decades mainly because of their extensive pharmacological significance. Marine nutraceuticals are mainly composed of carotenoids, polysaccharides, polyphenols, proteins, fatty acids, enzymes, minerals and vitamins. A vast number of in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated the health-promoting effects of marine nutraceuticals, including antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anticancer, cardioprotective, immunomodulatory and others. In this chapter, the pharmacological significance of the major marine nutraceuticals such as astaxanthin, fucoxanthin, ulvan and polyphenols are discussed in detail.
