Postgraduate Department of Environmental Sciences, All Saints' College (Affiliated to the University of Kerala), Thiruvananthapuram 695007, India.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri 641112, India.
Molecules. 2024 Sep 27;29(19):4596. doi: 10.3390/molecules29194596.
Seagrass meadows consist of angiosperms that thrive fully submerged in marine environments and form distinct ecosystems. They provide essential support for many organisms, acting as nursery grounds for species of economic importance. Beyond their ecological roles, seagrasses and their associated microbiomes are rich sources of bioactive compounds with the potential to address numerous human healthcare challenges. Seagrasses produce bioactive molecules responding to physical, chemical, and biological environmental changes. These activities can treat microbe-borne diseases, skin diseases, diabetes, muscle pain, helminthic diseases, and wounds. Seagrasses also offer potential secondary metabolites that can be used for societal benefits. Despite numerous results on their presence and bioactive derivatives, only a few studies have explored the functional and therapeutic properties of secondary metabolites from seagrass. With the increasing spread of epidemics and pandemics worldwide, the demand for alternative drug sources and drug discovery has become an indispensable area of research. Seagrasses present a reliable natural source, making this an opportune moment for further exploration of their pharmacological activities with minimal side effects. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the biochemical, phytochemical, and biomedical applications of seagrasses globally over the last two decades, highlighting the prospective areas of future research for identifying biomedical applications.
海草甸由适应完全淹没在海洋环境中的被子植物组成，形成独特的生态系统。它们为许多生物提供了重要的支持，是具有经济重要性的物种的育苗场。除了生态作用外，海草及其相关微生物组还是具有生物活性的化合物的丰富来源，这些化合物具有解决许多人类健康挑战的潜力。海草会产生生物活性分子，以应对物理、化学和生物环境变化。这些活性物质可以治疗由微生物引起的疾病、皮肤病、糖尿病、肌肉疼痛、寄生虫病和伤口。海草还提供了具有社会价值的潜在次生代谢产物。尽管已经有许多关于它们的存在和生物活性衍生物的研究，但只有少数研究探索过海草次生代谢产物的功能和治疗特性。随着全球流行病和大流行病的不断蔓延，对替代药物来源和药物发现的需求成为一个不可或缺的研究领域。海草是一种可靠的天然来源，因此，现在是进一步探索其具有最小副作用的药理学活性的绝佳时机。本文综述了过去二十年全球范围内海草的生物化学、植物化学和生物医学应用，强调了未来研究识别生物医学应用的潜在领域。
