Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Compounds Isolated from Seagrasses and Seaweeds

Dear Colleagues,

Since 70% of the earth's surface is covered by seas and oceans, marine organisms are an important source of new bioactive compounds promoting human health. Marine macrophytes, including seagrasses (also called marine angiosperms) and marine macroalgae (also called seaweeds), have various uses for humans, such as food, medicine and biofuels, while their compounds exhibit different bioactivities. In addition, marine macrophytes contain a variety of cellular components such as proteins, cellulose, polysaccharides, minerals, and phenolic compounds, which exhibit beneficial properties for human health. Numerous studies have demonstrated the association between oxidative stress and cancer in humans. Thus, the uptake of antioxidants through diet or as food supplements has been suggested for cancer prevention. Interestingly, several compounds isolated from seagrasses and seaweeds have been shown to possess antioxidant and anticancer activities. Although seagrasses and seaweeds have attracted great attention because of their bioactive properties for human health, they are considered as an underexploited resource.

The present Special Issue aims to collect the latest research findings on the isolation of antioxidant and/or anticancer compounds from seagrasses and seaweeds. The compounds could be either individual chemical substances or chemical mixtures. The bioactive compounds may be polyphenols, polysaccharides and peptides, but they could also belong to other chemical categories. Moreover, contributions to this Special Issue could include both in vitro and in vivo studies relating to different aspects of antioxidant activity of compounds from seagrasses and seaweeds, such as structure–activity relationships, regulation of endogenous antioxidant responses (e.g., Nrf2 pathway) and their role in signaling, metabolism, cell cycle, gene regulation, cellular stress, and prevention of diseases. In addition, the investigation of the anticancer properties of compounds from seagrasses and seaweeds could include studies on the inhibition of cancer cell growth and the molecular mechanisms accounting for this activity (e.g., induction of apoptosis and autophagy, cell cycle arrest, inhibition of topoisomerase and angiogenesis). Apart from research studies, review articles are also welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Paraskevi Malea
Dr. Dimitrios Stagos
Guest Editors

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