Ocean & seas: Promising biomedical resources for infection-related mNCDs
Generally speaking, chronic or acute infection highly links with cardiovascular disease (hypertension, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, heart failure, and stroke), diabetes, cancer, respiratory and renal diseases as well as the related CDC strips or Re-CDC strips [36, 37]. Some MNPs have numerous health benefits, such as antioxidant, anti-infection, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, anti-diabetic effects, and cancer treatment [38, 39]. Thus, marine drugs are not just suitable for infectious diseases, but also for prevention and treatment major noncommunicable diseases (mNCDs).
A study found that mineral-balanced deep sea water [magnesium (Mg):calcium (Ca)=3:1] (MB-DSW) has anti-atopic dermatitis activity due to regression of inflammatory chemokines [40]. Other studies found that MB-DSW has anti-diabetic and anti-obesity action [41] due to the stimulatory effect on mitochondrial biogenesis and function and enriched with Mg and Ca, and the effects on cholesterol metabolism [42] due to prevention of the high glucose- or FFA/glucose-induced increase of cellular cholesterol levels (is its potential just like statin drugs?), and the role of the prevention of ultraviolet light-induced skin cancer development [43] due to enhancing skin cell clearance through the activation of autophagic cell death.
In addition, recombinant photoproteins from different marine organisms as a promising analytical tool have a big role in biomedical research fields [44], such as the measurement of Ca2+ in different intracellular compartments of animal cells, as labels in the design and development of binding assays as well as the emerging use of bioluminescence.