# Therapeutic Potential of Seaweed-Derived Bioactive Compounds for Cardiovascular Disease Treatment
## 5 Seaweed-Derived Carotenoids and Other Components with Therapeutic Potential against CVD  
All carotenoids, including fucoxanthin, caroten, lycopene, and siphonaxanthin, are bioactive substances from seaweeds. Green seaweed extracts rich in carotenoids exhibit significant antigenotoxic activities [147]. Fucoxanthin is a recognized secondary metabolite found in macroalgae, and its biological properties are well established [23]. Fucoxanthin from brown seaweed exerts prebiotic and anti-inflammatory activities in human intestinal epithelial cells [148]. Fucoxanthin upregulates the expression of UCP1 in white adipose tissue (WAT) in KK-Ay mice [149]. Fucoxanthin and siphonaxanthin inhibit angiogenesis by downregulating the FGF-2-mediated intracellular signals in vascular endothelial cells [150]. Siphonaxanthin has been reported to have anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects [151]. Siphonaxanthin induces apoptosis by decreasing Bcl-2 expression and activating caspase-3 in human leukemia (HL-60) cells [152]. In [PERSON]'s study, fucoxanthin extracted from _Undaria pinnatifida_ (_U. pimatifida_) increased the serum HDL. It decreased the triglyceride levels in high-fat diet-fed rats at a 0.2% diet dose for 4 weeks [153] (Table 4). In addition, the \(\alpha\)-amylase and \(\alpha\)-glucosidase inhibitory activities of fucoxanthin were observed in [PERSON]'s study [154]. The administration of a 3-g/kg 9-cis \(\beta\)-carotene diet disrupted the increases in plasma cholesterol and LDL in LDL-receptor knockout mice [155]. Feeding 8% 9-Cis \(\beta\)-carotene feed for 23 days disrupted triglyceride elevation in 5-week-old female db/ db mice [156]. Other carotenoids have also been shown to have anti-atherogenic effects. [PERSON] et al. showed that siphonaxanthin extracted from _Codium fragile_ disrupts the elevation of the serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and HDL in KK-Ay mice [157]. In addition, (all-E)-lutein and (9-Z)-zeaxanthin displayed anti-diabetes mellitus potency via \(\alpha\)-glucosidase inhibition [158]. Seaweeds have a variety of physiologically active ingredients in addition to pharmacontannins, polysaccharides, peptides, and carotenoids. It has been reported that seaweeds contain various sterol compounds [159]. Sterols are an important family of lipids present in most eukaryotic cells. They are categorized into the steroid group, which contains the same fused four-ring core structure and has different biological roles than hormones and signaling molecules. The search for natural bioactive sterols as safe alternatives from marine seaweed is important in the food industry. Fucosterol isolated from the marine seaweed _Pelvetia siliquosa_ causes a significant elevation of free radical scavenging enzyme activities, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) [160]. Moreover, 3 g,28 \(\xi\)-dihydroxy-24-ethylcholesta-5,23 Z-dien and 24 \(\xi\)-hydropyoxy-24-vinylcholesterol isolated from the brown seaweed _Sargassum carophyllum_ showed cytotoxic activity against human promylocytic leukemia cells [161]. [PERSON] and [PERSON] studied bioactive compounds isolated from the edible brown seaweed _Sargassum fusiforme_ (_S. fusiforme_), and 24(S)-saringosterol showed the strongest LXRB-mediated transactivity among the seven phytosterols isolated from _S. fusiforme_ containing fucosterol, 24-hydropyoxy-24-vinyl-cholesterol, 29-hydropyoxy-stigmasta-5,24(28)-dien-38-ol, 24-methylenediolesterol, 24-keto-cholesterol, and 5\(\alpha\),8\(\alpha\)-epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-38-ol [162], while 18\(\alpha\)-glycyrrheinic acid and 18\(\beta\)-glycyrrheinic acid were extracted from _S. fusiforme_-inhibited \(\alpha\)-glucosidase. Other compounds, including unsaturated FAs C20:4 (\(\Delta^{7,9,11,13}\)), C17:3 (\(\Delta^{8,11,14}\)), neoplasm, and trace amines also potently inhibited \(\alpha\)-glucosidase [163].