Zeitschrift für Meeresbiologie und Ozeanographie

Biomaterials from the Sea: Potential Biological Building Blocks

Emma Griffin

The potential for generating high-value biomaterials from marine resources is enormous. Biomaterials derived from marine organisms have become increasingly popular in the recent decade. This is a rapidly changing field. From coralline bone grafts to polysaccharide-based biomaterials, marine biomaterials have gone through numerous stages of development. Chitin and chitosan, marine-derived collagen, and composites of various marine species are examples of the latter. In this overview, the diversity of marine natural products, their qualities, and applications are comprehensively examined. These materials are inexpensive and have good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioactive properties. Medical applications, antibacterial agents, drug delivery agents, anticoagulants, rehabilitation of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, bone disease, and diabetes, as well as comestible, cosmetic, and industrial applications, are all important applications of marine biomaterials.