Marine Algae Hydrogels as Emerging Biomaterials for Medicine
Leonel Pereira, Ana Valado
TL;DR
Marine algae can be used to create sustainable hydrogels with potential for tissue repair and drug delivery in medicine.
Contribution
The paper reviews marine algae-derived hydrogels as next-generation biomaterials and outlines strategies for their fabrication and application.
Findings
Phycocolloids from marine algae offer biocompatible and tunable hydrogels for biomedical applications.
Hydrogels show promise in skin repair, tissue regeneration, and drug delivery.
Challenges include extract variability and the need for sustainable production methods.
Abstract
Marine algae, microalgae, and Cyanophyceae emerge as sustainable and versatile sources of biomacromolecules for the fabrication of hydrogels with broad biomedical potential. Their phycocolloids, such as alginate, agar, carrageenan, ulvan, and extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), exhibit intrinsic biocompatibility, tunable gelation behavior, and bioactive sulfated structures that support cell viability, tissue regeneration, and therapeutic delivery. This review provides a comprehensive overview of hydrogel fabrication strategies, including physical, chemical, and hybrid crosslinking approaches, and highlights recent advances in composite systems incorporating proteins, glycosaminoglycans, and functional nanomaterials. Applications in skin repair, cartilage and bone regeneration, neural and cardiovascular engineering, and controlled drug delivery are examined, alongside the expanding role…
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Taxonomy
TopicsSeaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds · Algal biology and biofuel production · 3D Printing in Biomedical Research