Antidiabetic Potential of Marine Life

The formation of diabetes as a metabolic disorder, the causes of the formation of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and the components of marine biota possessing antidiabetic compounds are dealt with in this chapter

The properties and chemistry of antidiabetics, the percentage contribution of bioactive compounds by the different components of marine life, and modes of action of antidiabetic compounds derived from certain marine sources are given in this chapter. Further, the role of marine life components in the inhibition of type 2 diabetes, anti-diabetes properties of marine micro and macroorganisms, and marine bioactive compounds such as fucoxanthin, astaxanthin, polyphenol, polysaccharide, krill oil, and fish collagen peptides, as well as their sources and potential applications against diabetes have also been dealt with in this chapter. 

Among the marine biota, the macro-organisms have yielded a considerable number of bioactive compounds in the last 50 years of bioprospecting research. Owing to the repeated derivation of known bioactive compounds and reduced number of novel compounds from these macroorganisms, scientists are now trying to concentrate on the less investigated drug sources like marine bacteria and fungi among the microbes, as well as microalgae other than cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) such as yellow-green algae (diatoms) and dinoflagellates, which are known to possess promising bioactive compounds including novel antidiabetics. Further, unlike macroorganisms, microorganisms are known to possess the advantage of sustainable production of considerable quantities of bioactive compounds by large-scale cultivation.

The antidiabetic potentials of the different classes of marine plants, such as macroalgae viz. green algae, brown algae, and red algae, as well as seagrasses and mangrove plants are dealt with in this chapter. The different chemical classes of secondary metabolites derived from these marine plants and their mechanisms of action in antidiabetic activities are also given

The chemical diversity (terpenes, alkaloids, steroids, peptides, etc.) of marine invertebrates such as sponges, cnidarians, annelid worms, crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms and their mechanisms of action has been dealt with in this chapter. The mechanisms of action of these natural products, along with their potential in the discovery of novel drugs, are also given in detail.

The antidiabetic properties of the natural products derived from tunicates, marine elasmobranchs, teleost fishes, and soft-shelled turtles are dealt with in this chapter. The global distribution and ecology of the antidiabetic species and the modes of action of their bioactive compounds are also depicted.

The antidiabetic properties of marine fishery byproducts, such as peptide hydrolysates, collagen peptides, and marine fish oils (ω-3 PUFA) derived from marine fish wastes, are dealt with in this chapter. Further, the possible mechanisms involved in the antidiabetic effects of chitosan and its derivatives from marine crustaceans are also depicted.