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Recent Developments and Emerging Trends in Marine Biotechnology, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2026) | Viewed by 2504

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Guest Editor
Marine Resources, Conservation and Technology, Marine Algae Laboratory, Centre for Functional Ecology—Science for People & the Planet (CFE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: marine biotechnology; phycology; biodiversity; nutraceuticals
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

An important consequence of demographic pressure is the rapid unsustainable consumption of living resources, preventing their renewal, with many species being put at serious risk due to overexploitation, particularly those affected by illegal, unregulated, or unreported fishing or, in best case scenarios, due to nonselective and ineffective practices. These threats to the ocean require the development of new modes of cooperation and the implementation of adaptable measures and effective management principles. Today, there is an avenue of strategic thinking regarding the conceptualization of policies for the governance, management, and enhancement of oceans on a global scale.

Oceans cover about 72% of the surface of our planet, displaying a high biodiversity that includes animals, seagrasses, macro- and microalgae, bacteria, cyanobacteria, archaebacteria, and viruses. In short, all the major domains of life are present in this global habitat, which has varied ecosystems, from chasms more than 11,000 m deep and mid-ocean hydrothermal vents to salt flats where microscopic cells can survive concentrations of salt close to their saturation point.

Although natural products have historically been the main source of drugs approved for the treatment of humans, the research and development focus of the pharmaceutical industry has moved away from this group of compounds. However, the growing number of molecules that have been discovered in the marine environment—mostly produced by microorganisms—and the arrival of some of these compounds on the market show the potential of oceans and their microbiota to be a source of chemical diversity, with an impact on human health. Thus, oceans harbor immeasurable opportunities for the discovery of new molecules and potential biotechnological applications.

Prof. Dr. Leonel Pereira
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • marine organisms
  • marine biodiversity
  • marine algae
  • microbiota
  • aquaculture
  • stock assessment
  • bioremediation
  • carbon biosequestration
  • bioactive molecules
  • nutraceuticals
  • blue growth

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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17 pages, 3491 KB  
Article
Sargassum siliquastrum Aqueous Extract Attenuates Inflammation in RAW 264.7 Macrophages and Modulates Neuroinflammation in D-Galactose-Induced Aging Mice
by Sung-Min Kim, Eun-Jung Park, Hae-Sun Park, Jihee Choi and Hae-Jeung Lee
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(6), 2722; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16062722 - 12 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 581
Abstract
Inflammation and cellular senescence are fundamental contributors to aging and neurodegenerative disorders. Marine algae are increasingly acknowledged for their content of bioactive molecules capable of influencing inflammation and cellular aging. In this research, we examined the capacity of Sargassum siliquastrum aqueous extract (SSE) [...] Read more.
Inflammation and cellular senescence are fundamental contributors to aging and neurodegenerative disorders. Marine algae are increasingly acknowledged for their content of bioactive molecules capable of influencing inflammation and cellular aging. In this research, we examined the capacity of Sargassum siliquastrum aqueous extract (SSE) to counteract inflammatory responses in RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide, as well as aging-related changes in a mouse model of D-galactose (D-gal)-induced aging. SSE treatment markedly lowered levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, prostaglandin E2, and nitric oxide. Furthermore, SSE attenuated the transcriptional activities of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and activator protein 1, while modulating protein expression associated with NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in RAW 264.7 cells. In vivo, SSE reduced the phosphorylation levels of MAPKs in the hippocampus of D-gal-treated mice. Additionally, SSE modulated the expression of genes associated with cellular senescence and inflammation in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. However, the apparent molecular effects were not accompanied by significant improvement in passive avoidance performance, which showed only a non-significant trend between the model control and SSE-administrated groups. Collectively, these findings suggest that SSE exerts anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and provide preliminary evidence of its potential to modulate D-gal-induced aging-related neuroinflammatory changes in mice. Full article
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10 pages, 1208 KB  
Article
Activity Against Human Pathogens of Two Polyunsaturated Aldehydes and Pheophorbide a
by Alessandro Coppola, Vizma Nikolajeva and Chiara Lauritano
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(24), 13221; https://doi.org/10.3390/app152413221 - 17 Dec 2025
Viewed by 478
Abstract
Microalgae are extremely diverse photosynthetic organisms, adapted to live in different habitat conditions, from freshwater to marine environments. This adaptability is also associated with the ability to produce several metabolites. Polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs), first identified in 1999 in Thalassiosira gravida and Skeletonema costatum [...] Read more.
Microalgae are extremely diverse photosynthetic organisms, adapted to live in different habitat conditions, from freshwater to marine environments. This adaptability is also associated with the ability to produce several metabolites. Polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUAs), first identified in 1999 in Thalassiosira gravida and Skeletonema costatum, are known to influence the development of their predators, having teratogenic effects and blocking their development. PUAs have shown several activities, such as antitumor, antimicrobial and antiparasite. Another relevant compound is pheophorbide a (PPBa), a chlorophyll degradation product, which has previously shown properties useful to be considered as a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy, demonstrating cytotoxic effects on various tumor cell lines. It has also been shown to have activity against some bacteria and fungi. Considering the growing problem of multi-antibiotic resistance of human pathogenic bacteria and the increasing market demand for new drugs, the aim of our work was to screen two PUAs, i. e., 2,4-octadienal and trans,trans-2,4-decadienal, and PPBa against a panel of human pathogenic bacteria and fungi: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated through MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) and MFC/MBC (Minimum Fungicidal/Bactericidal Concentration), demonstrating that the two PUAs had a greater antimicrobial activity than PPBa on both bacteria and fungi, except for P. aeruginosa, where the antimicrobial activity was low. The compound 2,4-Octadienal showed extremely high antifungal activity, especially against the fungus A. fumigatus, where the MIC and MFC were 0.001 µL/mL and 0.004 µL/mL, respectively. These results are shedding light on the antimicrobial activity of microalgal compounds and their possible applications for different human infection diseases. Full article
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