Exploration of Anti-diabetic Potentials Amongst Marine Species- A Mini Review

Though the marine world has attracted the attention of the research community for years together, yet the therapeutic potentiality of marine phyto-planktons is largely unexplored. Enzymes play a pathogenic role and are the underlying cause of several diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer, Parkinson etc. Inhibition of such enzymes can serve as a therapeutic strategy against the diseases. Enzymes like α-glucosidase, protein tyrosine phosphatase and aldose reductase have been found to cause pathogenicity in Type 2 diabetes and its associated complications thereof. Exploration of therapeutically active agents like bromophenols, 2-piperidione, benzeneacetamide, n-hexadecanoic acid, fucoxanthin, dysidine, biologically active insulin, methyl-ethyl ketone derivatives etc from marine species like red algae, brown algae, marine fungus, seaweeds and diatoms, marine ascidians, sea corals with significant inhibitory potentials against enzymes either pathogenic to diabetes or adding to associated diabetic complications coupled with antioxidant activities adding a new dimension in anti-diabetic research. Other suggestive mechanisms include enhanced peripheral glucose utilization by activating GLUT-4 receptor. Fucoxanthin controls insulin resistance, inhibites adipokines, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6). Some of the active constituents were found to be effective diabetisity. Biologically active insulin isolated from spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula) and hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) were almost same with human insulin with near to equivalent receptor binding capacity. Thus it provides an alternative source of bio-insulin in the marine world. The mini-review attempts to compile different anti-diabetic bio-active components from marine sources together with their mechanistic role. © 2014 iGlobal Research and Publishing Foundation. All rights reserved.