Healing and Regenerating Potential of Marine Natural Products

Dear Colleagues,

Healing and regeneration are usually associated with wounds, that is, traumatic skin lesions involving the disruption of skin continuity or tissue rupture caused by an accident (cuts, stings, bites, burns, etc.), surgeries, or scars, but also dermatological conditions, infected wounds, folliculitis, boils, ulcers, frostbite, eczema, acne, etc. Tissue repair involves restoring tissue architecture and function after an injury through two processes, that is, the regeneration–replacement and healing of major types of lesions, with the formation of scar tissue and restoration of some of the original structures of damaged tissue. However, these processes can lead to some structural abnormalities that affect organ function.

Regeneration is a type of healing in which new growth returns completely to its normal state; it occurs through the proliferation of tissue cells and heals minor tissue damage without permanent implications. This process does not involve the formation of scar tissue; stem cells or specialized cells in a tissue undergo proliferation to restore dead or damaged cells, and the original tissue is restored and the non-regenerable tissue is repaired by placing a layer of connective tissue. Marine organisms can be considered the most recent source of bioactive natural products, with biomedical applications in terrestrial plants and non-marine microorganisms for various purposes, such as pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical and nutricosmetic applications. They have potential for the development of new drugs for healing damaged soft and hard tissues because they are pharmacologically active compounds that are structurally unique. The supply of bioactive substances in marine organisms with an increased potential for action offers combined therapeutic effects, representing valuable agents that help the wound-healing process and ensure aesthetic healing, restore tissue elasticity and stimulate the re-epithelialization of skin and mucous membranes; they also support hard tissue formation, including collagen formation and mineralization.

Marine biologically active compounds are secondary metabolites, enzymes, lipids and heteropolysaccharides extracted from marine organisms of plant and animal origin such as mollusks, sponges, soft corals, tunicates, and fish, but also from phytoplankton, cnidarians, bryozoans, echinoderms, various bacteria, actinobacteria, cyanobacteria, fungi, microalgae, seaweed and other intertidal plants and microorganisms. Recently, there has been a steady increase in research into marine natural products, with a focus on isolating new chemical structures with strong biological activities that support tissue regeneration and accelerate wound healing. Bioactive macroalgae products can stimulate and regenerate skin cells, with a velvety and slightly bactericidal effect; their moisturizing and moisture-retaining properties clearly manifest due to the high content of polysaccharides, organic acids and mineral salts. Corals, fish bones, shells, etc. are also currently used as precursors in developing new materials for hard tissue engineering, with some important advantages such as suitable porosity, pore size, chemical composition, oligoelement content, etc.

The proposed topic for this Special Issue is broad and we hope to publish works representing various directions of research, including the role of bioactive compounds found in macroalgae for various therapies and regeneration techniques; or those in invertebrates, mollusks, bone remains, cartilage, extracts from marine fish for application to healing, with or without scarring and regeneration.

This Special Issue invites original research contributions and reviews on the potential for the use of compounds extracted from marine organisms of plant and animal origin in the treatment, healing, repair and regeneration of affected tissue; the wound healing effects of these compounds; and on the development of innovative pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals and/or biomedical regenerative materials.

Prof. Dr. Ticuta Negreanu-Pirjol
Dr. Denisa Ficai
Guest Editors

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• marine natural products with wound healing activity
• healing and regenerating potential
• wound healing mechanisms of marine natural products
• value-added products
• soft and hard tissue engineering
• tissue repair and regeneration
• regenerative medicine
• oral mucosa regeneration
• in vivo and in vitro studies
• marine collagen
• wound dressing marine products
• marine organisms extracts
• pharmaceuticals
• cosmeceuticals
• nutricosmetics
• anti-aging marine products
• macroalgae
• microalgae in tissue regeneration
• marine invertebrate organisms
• primary and secondary metabolites
• isolation and characterization of marine bioactive compounds
• biomedical applications
• drug discovery
• drug delivery systems
• biopolymers and biomaterials
• blue biotechnology