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Marine Drugs
Special Issues
Marine Polysaccharides-Based Biomaterials
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Marine Polysaccharides-Based Biomaterials

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials of Marine Origin".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 917

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Raul J. Bernardino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET—Aquatic Research Network, School of Tourism and Maritime Technology, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, 2520-614 Peniche, Portugal
2. LSRE-LCM—Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering—Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials, School of Technology and Management (ESTG), Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, 2520-614 Peniche, Portugal
3. ALiCE—Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: aquaculture; water quality management; sustainable food production
Dr. Clélia Neves Afonso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET—Aquatic Research Network, School of Tourism and Maritime Technology, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, 2520-614 Peniche, Portugal
Interests: marine biotechnology; food science; marine algae; marine microbiology; bioactive compounds of marine origin
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to contribute to an upcoming Special Issue of Marine Drugs, entitled "Marine-Polysaccharide-Based Biomaterials". This Special Issue aims to showcase the latest advances in the discovery, characterization, and applications of these fascinating marine-based biomolecules, exploring their remarkable versatility and potential uses.

Marine-derived polysaccharides such as alginate, fucoidan, laminarin, agar, carrageenan, chitin/chitosan, glycosaminoglycans, and exopolysaccharides have emerged as exceptional biomaterials due to their sustainable source, biocompatibility, and broad-spectrum properties. From different origins (e.g., macroalgae, marine invertebrates, vertebrates, and microorganisms), these compounds continue to revolutionize various fields, including the biomedicine, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and nutraceutical industries. Their remarkable properties—biocompatibility, biodegradability, and biological activities—make them invaluable resources for sustainable development and innovation.

We welcome original research articles and comprehensive reviews addressing, but not limited to, novel extraction and purification methodologies; structural characterization and chemical modifications; drug delivery systems and pharmaceutical formulations; tissue engineering and regenerative medicine; functional ingredients; cosmetic applications and skincare formulations; sustainable production and green chemistry approaches; and industrial applications and scale-up strategies of marketing these products. 

Dr. Raul J. Bernardino
Dr. Clélia Neves Afonso
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 polysaccharides
  • nutraceuticals
  • bioactive compounds
  • antioxidants
  • bioactive carbohydrates
  • algal polysaccharides
  • marine natural products
  • biopolymers
  • marine biotechnology

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3022 KiB  
Article
Insights into the Mechanism Underpinning Composite Molecular Docking During the Self-Assembly of Fucoidan Biopolymers with Peptide Nanofibrils
by Rui Li, Min-Rui Tai, Xian-Ni Su, Hong-Wu Ji, Jian-Ping Chen, Xiao-Fei Liu, Bing-Bing Song, Sai-Yi Zhong, David. R. Nisbet, Colin J. Barrow and Richard J. Williams
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(4), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23040169 - 15 Apr 2025
Viewed by 293
Abstract
Composite hydrogels with improved mechanical and chemical properties can be formed by non-covalently decorating the nanofibrillar structures formed by the self-assembly of peptides with fucoidan. Nevertheless, the precise interactions, and the electrochemical and thermodynamic stability of these composite materials have not been determined. [...] Read more.
Composite hydrogels with improved mechanical and chemical properties can be formed by non-covalently decorating the nanofibrillar structures formed by the self-assembly of peptides with fucoidan. Nevertheless, the precise interactions, and the electrochemical and thermodynamic stability of these composite materials have not been determined. Here, we present a thermodynamic analysis of the interacting forces that drive the formation of a composite fucoidan/9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-phenylalanine-arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-phenylalanine (Fmoc-FRGDF) hydrogel. The results showed that the co-assembly of fucoidan and Fmoc-FRGDF was spontaneous and exothermic. The melting point increased from 87.0 °C to 107.7 °C for Fmoc-FRGDF with 8 mg/mL of added fucoidan. A complex network of hydrogen bonds formed between the molecules of Fmoc-FRGDF, and electrostatic, hydrogen bond, and van der Waals interactions were the main interactions driving the co-assembly of fucoidan and Fmoc-FRGDF. Furthermore, the sulfate group of fucoidan formed a strong salt bridge with the arginine of Fmoc-FRGDF. This study provides useful biomedical engineering design parameters for the inclusion of other highly soluble biopolymers into these types of hydrogel vectors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Polysaccharides-Based Biomaterials)
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Review

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36 pages, 1749 KiB  
Review
Marine-Derived Compounds Combined with Nanoparticles: A Focus on the Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sector
by Laura M. Teixeira, Catarina P. Reis and Rita Pacheco
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(5), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23050207 - 13 May 2025
Viewed by 119
Abstract
The ocean is an extraordinary natural source of a wide range of bioactive compounds. These compounds, including proteins, phenolics, polysaccharides, pigments, vitamins, and fatty acids, possess unique biological properties that are increasingly being explored in the field of nanotechnology across diverse sectors. Among [...] Read more.
The ocean is an extraordinary natural source of a wide range of bioactive compounds. These compounds, including proteins, phenolics, polysaccharides, pigments, vitamins, and fatty acids, possess unique biological properties that are increasingly being explored in the field of nanotechnology across diverse sectors. Among marine-derived nanoparticles, promising applications have emerged in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields, particularly metallic nanoparticles and polysaccharide-based drug delivery systems. This review provides a unique perspective on the integration of two research areas: the exploration of marine bioresources as bioactive compounds sources with nanotechnological methodologies to develop sustainable, safe, stable and functional marine-derived NPs. It highlights recent advancements in the green synthesis of MNPs and the formulation of drug delivery systems using marine polysaccharides. This review also describes the recent trends over the past ten years and discusses the major challenges and limitations associated with these approaches, including variability in biological sources, batch-to-batch inconsistency, mechanistic uncertainties, and difficulties in reproducibility and scalability. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for standardized protocols and the integration of life cycle assessments (LCA) to evaluate environmental and economic viability for effective translating marine-derives nanoparticles from research to clinical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Polysaccharides-Based Biomaterials)
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Other

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20 pages, 1126 KiB  
Systematic Review
Dental Resin Composites Modified with Chitosan: A Systematic Review
by Wojciech Dobrzyński, Paweł J. Piszko, Jan Kiryk, Sylwia Kiryk, Mateusz Michalak, Agnieszka Kotela, Julia Kensy, Witold Świenc, Natalia Grychowska, Jacek Matys and Maciej Dobrzyński
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(5), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23050199 - 1 May 2025
Viewed by 372
Abstract
Objective: This systematic review aims to evaluate the impact of incorporating chitosan into dental resin composites on their mechanical, antibacterial, and physicochemical properties. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was conducted in March 2025 using the following [...] Read more.
Objective: This systematic review aims to evaluate the impact of incorporating chitosan into dental resin composites on their mechanical, antibacterial, and physicochemical properties. Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was conducted in March 2025 using the following keywords: resin, composite, and chitosan. The inclusion criteria comprised in vitro studies in dentistry evaluating chitosan as a composite additive with full-text availability in English. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by multiple reviewers using standardized tools, and study quality was assessed based on predefined criteria. Results: Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria. Chitosan concentrations in the composites ranged from 0.25 wt% to 20 wt%. Antibacterial activity was confirmed in six studies, especially against S. mutans, S. sanguinis, and L. acidophilus. Mechanical properties such as fracture toughness, hardness, and compressive strength were generally improved at lower concentrations of chitosan. However, increased chitosan levels were associated with decreased flexural strength and increased microleakage. Shear bond strength (SBS) was unaffected by chitosan in low concentrations (up to 0.25%), while higher concentrations reduced SBS. Fluoride release capacity was assessed in one study, with no significant differences observed. Conclusion: Chitosan-modified dental resin composites exhibit promising antibacterial and mechanical enhancements at low concentrations. However, higher chitosan levels may compromise certain mechanical and adhesive properties. These findings suggest a need for standardized methodologies and further research on long-term clinical implications and fluoride release. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Polysaccharides-Based Biomaterials)
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