Bioactive Compounds from Components of Marine Ecosystem

With the advent and rapid progress of the novel blue economy, the prospect of large-scale commercial production of diverse natural bioactive compounds from aquatic biota is likely to be realized in the near future. The biodiversity of the marine biota represents a potentially abundant source of new biomolecules with potentially different economical applications. Most of these biotas are able to survive under stress conditions, as a result, they produce complex metabolites with unique biological properties. These natural substances could be used as functional constituents in the food sector. Moreover, they could aid in the treatment of a broad range of different diseases, including antitumor, antioxidant, antiaging, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. The special properties of these compounds make them an attractive group deserving increasing scientific interest. It is interesting to note that there are some biomolecules exclusively found in marine biota, including phlorotannins and sulfated polysaccharides. This chapter explains the bioactive molecules from different marine biota as well as illustrates their chemical structure and highlights their new biologically active form.

Keywords: Biopolymers, Bioceramics, Marine biomaterials, Marine biota.