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Nutrients
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Marine Nutraceuticals and Human Health: 2nd Edition
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Marine Nutraceuticals and Human Health: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 February 2025) | Viewed by 6395

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Paola Nieri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Interests: natural compounds; microRNAs; anticancer; marine compounds; mediterranean diet; anti-inflammatory compounds; nutrigenomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Valerio Zupo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Ischia Marine Centre, Ischia, 80077 Naples, Italy
Interests: chemical ecology; drug discovery; biotechnology; marine invertebrates; microalgae; diatoms; sexual biology; invertebrate physiology; ecological modelling; aquaculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Maria Costantini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
Interests: genomic/transcriptomic; marine biotechnology; metabolites in microalgae; nutraceuticals in fish; acquaculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Seas represent a huge source of biodiversity that can sustainably provide natural compounds useful for human health. Many types of marine chemicals (polyphenols, carotenoids, polysaccharides, PUFAs, sterols, and others) with relevance for human wellbeing have already been discovered. New foods derived from the sea or from aquaculture are an excellent opportunity to provide new functional foods and food supplements for industry. This is particularly interesting when we consider the urgent need for alternative food sources, since future increases in the world population, particularly those over sixty, will need appropriate care for preventing and combating chronic diseases.

In this context, although many marine natural products have already been characterized, many more are yet to be discovered, because the huge biodiversity of marine ecosystems is still largely unexplored.

The present Special Issue aims at collecting contributions describing new functional compounds with possible effects on human health obtained from marine organisms. Furthermore, contributions investigating the mechanisms of action or the pharmacokinetics of known marine molecules are welcome. Clinical studies on the beneficial effects of marine molecules in the prevention or treatment of diseases are also encouraged. Both original studies and up-to-date reviews are welcome.

Dr. Paola Nieri
Dr. Valerio Zupo
Dr. Maria Costantini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • marine
  • seafood
  • macroalga or seaweed
  • microalga
  • sponge
  • shellfish
  • jellyfish
  • shrimp
  • octopus
  • fish
  • sea urchin

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 4230 KiB  
Article
Effects of Supplementation with Microalgae Extract from Tetradesmus obliquus Strain Mi175.B1.a on Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Mental Health in Healthy Adults: A Pilot Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Arm Trial
by Sydnie Maltz, Aaron T. Nacey, Jonathan Maury, Nancy Ghanem, Sylvia Y. Lee, Thomas M. Aquilino, Elliot L. Graham, Scott D. Wrigley, Jennifer M. Whittington, Afsana M. Khandaker, Rania A. Hart, Lena Byrne, Yuren Wei, Rémi Pradelles, Sarah A. Johnson and Tiffany L. Weir
Nutrients 2025, 17(6), 960; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17060960 - 10 Mar 2025
Viewed by 994
Abstract
Microalgae, a marine-derived natural ingredient, has emerged as a rich source of bioactive compounds with the potential to modulate gut–brain axis activities. The objective of this study was to investigate whether supplementation with a microalgae extract from Tetradesmus obliquus strain Mi175.B1.a (TOME) influences [...] Read more.
Microalgae, a marine-derived natural ingredient, has emerged as a rich source of bioactive compounds with the potential to modulate gut–brain axis activities. The objective of this study was to investigate whether supplementation with a microalgae extract from Tetradesmus obliquus strain Mi175.B1.a (TOME) influences gut health and reduces stress and anxiety in healthy adults experiencing mild to moderate gastrointestinal (GI) distress. Methods: Fifty-six healthy adults (age: 31.9 ± 7.7 years; body weight: 71.8 ± 12.6 kg; BMI: 24.6 ± 2.8 kg/m2) were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm clinical trial. Participants were randomly allocated to receive capsules containing either 250 mg/day of TOME or a placebo for four weeks. Primary outcomes included the assessment of GI symptoms using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and Bristol Stool Scale (BSS). Secondary outcomes focused on subjective evaluation of mood, stress, and anxiety, as well as blood pressure responses to sympathetic nervous system activation induced by the cold pressor test (CPT). In addition, stool, plasma, and saliva samples were collected to assess biomarkers associated with stress, sympathetic activation, intestinal permeability, and GI health. 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to analyze changes in gut microbial populations. Results: Daily supplementation for four weeks with TOME was safe and well tolerated in the study population. In addition, TOME significantly reduced GSRS global scores (p = 0.02), as well as constipation (p = 0.05) and indigestion (p = 0.03) subcomponent scores compared to Placebo. There was also a significant increase in Shannon’s index before FDR correction (p = 0.05; FDR = 0.12) and stool butyrate level was significantly lower in the TOME group than in Placebo after 4 weeks of supplementation (p = 0.039). Both groups showed a significant reduction in perceived stress scores, but the TOME intervention group also had reduced Negative Affect scores (p < 0.001). In addition, plasma chromogranin A, a stress biomarker, was significantly reduced after TOME intervention (p = 0.03). There were no negative effects on blood lipids or other parameters related to sympathetic activation or cardiovascular health. Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest that 4-week supplementation with T. obliquus strain Mi175.B1.a improves GI symptoms, potentially through effects on the gut microbiota, and may promote positive effects on mental health. Additional research should follow up on mental health outcomes in populations with increased stress and anxiety and investigate mechanisms underlying improvements in GI health. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT06425094. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Nutraceuticals and Human Health: 2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 902 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Sargassum fusiforme and Fucus vesiculosus on Continuous Glucose Levels in Overweight Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Feasibility Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
by Karlijn A. M. Geurts, Sjoerd Meijer, Jeanine E. Roeters van Lennep, Xi Wang, Behiye Özcan, Gardi Voortman, Hongbing Liu, Manuel Castro Cabezas, Kirsten A. Berk and Monique T. Mulder
Nutrients 2024, 16(12), 1837; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16121837 - 12 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1797
Abstract
Background: Brown seaweed is promising for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Its bioactive constituents can positively affect plasma glucose homeostasis in healthy humans. We investigated the effect of the brown seaweeds Sargassum (S.) fusiforme and Fucus (F.) vesiculosus in their [...] Read more.
Background: Brown seaweed is promising for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Its bioactive constituents can positively affect plasma glucose homeostasis in healthy humans. We investigated the effect of the brown seaweeds Sargassum (S.) fusiforme and Fucus (F.) vesiculosus in their natural form on glucose regulation in patients with T2DM. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial. Thirty-six participants with T2DM received, on a daily basis, either 5 g of dried S. fusiforme, 5 g of dried F. vesiculosus, or 0.5 g of dried Porphyra (control) for 5 weeks, alongside regular treatment. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in the change in weekly average blood glucose levels (continuous glucose monitoring). The secondary outcomes were the changes in anthropometrics, plasma lipid levels, and dietary intake. The data were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. Results: The change in weekly average glucose levels was 8.2 ± 2.1 to 9.0 ± 0.7 mmol/L (p = 0.2) in the S. fusiforme group (n = 12) and 10.1 ± 3.3 to 9.2 ± 0.7 mmol/L (p = 0.9) in the F. vesiculosus group (n = 10). The between-group difference was non-significant. Similarly, no between-group differences were observed for the changes in the secondary outcomes. Discussion: A daily intake of 5 g of fresh, dried S. fusiforme or F. vesiculosus alongside regular treatment had no differential effect on weekly average blood glucose levels in T2DM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Nutraceuticals and Human Health: 2nd Edition)
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Review

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18 pages, 1935 KiB  
Review
Nutraceutical Features of the Phycobiliprotein C-Phycocyanin: Evidence from Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina)
by Valentina Citi, Serenella Torre, Lorenzo Flori, Luca Usai, Nazlim Aktay, Nurhan Turgut Dunford, Giovanni Antonio Lutzu and Paola Nieri
Nutrients 2024, 16(11), 1752; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16111752 - 3 Jun 2024
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2791
Abstract
Arthrospira platensis, commonly known as Spirulina, is a photosynthetic filamentous cyanobacterium (blue–green microalga) that has been utilized as a food source since ancient times. More recently, it has gained significant popularity as a dietary supplement due to its rich content of [...] Read more.
Arthrospira platensis, commonly known as Spirulina, is a photosynthetic filamentous cyanobacterium (blue–green microalga) that has been utilized as a food source since ancient times. More recently, it has gained significant popularity as a dietary supplement due to its rich content of micro- and macro-nutrients. Of particular interest is a water soluble phycobiliprotein derived from Spirulina known as phycocyanin C (C-PC), which stands out as the most abundant protein in this cyanobacterium. C-PC is a fluorescent protein, with its chromophore represented by the tetrapyrrole molecule phycocyanobilin B (PCB-B). While C-PC is commonly employed in food for its coloring properties, it also serves as the molecular basis for numerous nutraceutical features associated with Spirulina. Indeed, the comprehensive C-PC, and to some extent, the isolated PCB-B, has been linked to various health-promoting effects. These benefits encompass conditions triggered by oxidative stress, inflammation, and other pathological conditions. The present review focuses on the bio-pharmacological properties of these molecules, positioning them as promising agents for potential new applications in the expanding nutraceutical market. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Nutraceuticals and Human Health: 2nd Edition)
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