# Marine-Originated Materials and Their Potential Use in Biomedicine
###### Abstract  
Aquatic habitats cover almost 70% of the Earth, containing several species contributing to marine biodiversity. Marine and aquatic organisms are rich in chemical compounds that can be widely used in biomedicine (den dentistry, pharmacy, cosmetology, etc.) as alternative raw biomaterials or in food supplements. Their structural characteristics make them promising candidates for tissue engineering approaches in regenerative medicine. Thus, seaweeds, marine sponges, arthropods, criadaria, mollusks, and the biomaterials provided by them, such as alginate, vitamins, laminin, collagen, chitin, chitosan, gelatin, hydroxyapatite, bisolica, etc., are going to be discussed focusing on the biomedical applications of these marine-originated biomaterials. The ultimate goal is to highlight the sustainability of the use of these biomaterials instead of conventional ones, mainly due to the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and anticancer effect. marie biomaterials; alginate; chitin; chitosan; hydroxyapatite; biosilica +
Footnote †: journal: Medical Sciences  
0000-0001-9991-72000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-00000-00000-0000-  
Seaweeds are categorized as brown algae (phylum _Chlorophyta_), red algae (phylum _Rhodophyta_), and green algae (phylum _Chlorophyta_), and each of these groups has different bioactivity [7]. The use of seaweeds in biomedicine has been well known since time immemorial, particularly in Asia [7]. Recently the antimicrobial, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects of seaweed, and the use of them as a super food, make them an interesting candidate in sustainable pharmacy [8]. Seaweed can act also as a marker of specific pollutants, such as organochlorine pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. They can rapidly detect any alteration in water chemistry, playing a crucial role in environmental protection [9]. Furthermore, seaweed can also be used as raw materials to produce bioplastics and cosmetic products. And it is worth mentioning that seaweeds can replace conventional fossil fuel resources, providing an eco-friendly and cost-effective energy alternative that is now more than urgent [10]. Marine sponges constitute the phylum _Porfena_ categorized as _Metazoa_ and are considered among the oldest multicellular animals worldwide [11]. They are sessile animals that are a source of a variety of biocompounds, such as spongin, chitin/chitosan, biosilica, and polyphosphate [12]. The structural features of marine sponges are also desirable for numerous environmental and biomedical applications. Thus, among other marine species, marine sponges might be exploited further in biomedicine and particularly in tissue engineering. The phylum _Arthropoda_, or arthropods, contains marine species such as lobsters, crabs, shrimps, isopods, copepods and amphibods, crayfish, and other non-marine animals, like insects [13]. Crustacea is perhaps the most famous group of these species. Crustaceans, e.g., lobsters, crabs, shrimps, etc., are equipped with an external skeleton, rich in calcium carbonate to protect them [14]. Arthropods are a great source of chitin [15]. The phylum _Mollusca_ contains cuttlefish, octopuses, squids, and nautiluses as well as oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, etc. [16]. These species, and particularly a certain part of them, like seashells and part of their skeleton (bone), contain aragonite, which can be easily hydrothermally transformed into hydroxyapatite [17]. Hydroxyapatite is a surface-reactive bioceramic. Due to its physicochemical properties, it can be used in hard tissue regenerative medicine [18; 19]. Apart from biomedical applications, hydroxyapatite is can be used for the treatment of air, water, and soil pollution and for catalysis; thus, it can be used in the field of environmental management [20]. Finally, cnidaria and particularly jellyfishes and coral are also a great source of marine gelatin with various applications, in food, biomedicine, and hydroxyapatite.