# Targeting the Cardiovascular-Alzheimer’s Disease Axis: The Promise of Marine Bioactive Peptides

## TL;DR

This review explores how marine bioactive peptides can help prevent both cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s diseases by targeting shared mechanisms.

## Contribution

The paper introduces marine bioactive peptides as a novel, sustainable approach for integrated prevention of CVD and AD.

## Key findings

- Marine bioactive peptides show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties relevant to the CVD-AD axis.
- Enzymatic hydrolysis and separation techniques are key for producing and characterizing these peptides.
- Challenges include scalable production and regulatory approval, though progress is being made.

## Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are among the most prevalent chronic conditions, contributing significantly to global morbidity and healthcare burdens. These diseases are increasingly recognized as interconnected through shared mechanisms such as vascular dysfunction, oxidative stress, hypertension, and systemic inflammation, collectively referred to as the CVD-AD axis. Although therapeutic strategies exist for each condition, integrated approaches targeting these common pathways remain limited. This review highlights marine-derived bioactive peptides (BAPs) as multifunctional, sustainable agents for the simultaneous prevention of CVD and AD. It summarizes recent advances in their production, purification, and characterization, with emphasis on enzymatic hydrolysis and separation techniques. Marine BAPs exhibit diverse bioactivities, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, lipid-lowering, antihypertensive, and neuroprotective, addressing key pathological mechanisms of the CVD-AD axis. Their small size, stability, and favorable safety profile support absorption and initial bioavailability, while sustainable sourcing from underutilized marine biomass enables eco-friendly production. Despite their potential, barriers to scalable production, product standardization, and regulatory approval remain; however, incremental advances are being made toward overcoming these issues. Together with these advances, marine BAPs remain promising candidates for functional foods and nutraceuticals, providing integrated preventive strategies for age-related diseases and supporting long-term cardiovascular and cognitive health.