Seaweed Metabolites as a Novel Source of Drugs to Treat Inflammatory Diseases

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Inflammation is a complex adaptive response to harmful circumstances such as infection and tissue damage. While inflammation is curable in the acute stage, continuous inflammation can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and metabolic diseases. The inhibition of inflammatory cell infiltration and excessive cytokine production is beneficial to reduce chronic inflammation. Seaweeds have significant medicinal value due to their bioactive compounds, including seaweed metabolites with anti-inflammatory properties such as sulfated polysaccharides, polyphenols, terpenes, and fatty acids. Marine algal compounds with anti-inflammatory characteristics have recently gained attention in medical research as natural therapeutics that provide a significant protective effect over synthetic drugs. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the current knowledge on the anti-inflammatory activity of seaweed metabolites, including their underlying mechanisms and impact on several chronic inflammatory diseases.