REVIEW article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Biotechnology and Bioproducts
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1693989
Marine Algae and Their Bioactive Compounds as Novel Modulators for Mitochondrial Quality Control: From Mechanism to Therapeutic Potential
Provisionally accepted
- Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
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Mitochondrial Quality Control (MQC) is the core mechanism for ensuring mitochondrial quality and maintaining cellular function. Marine algae and their bioactive compounds represent a huge treasure trove of natural medicines. In recent years, research on the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis, mitochondrial dynamics, mitophagy, and mitochondrial protein balance by marine algae has continuously emerged, and their mechanisms of action have gradually become clearer. Bioactive compounds are the material basis for marine algae to exert this regulatory function. Based on their chemical structures, they can be classified into types such as marine algal polysaccharides, marine algal carotenoids, marine algal proteins, and marine algal peptides. Based on the analysis of the chemical structures of these compounds, we believe that structural differences, including planarity, degree of sulfation, and stereoisomerism, may help explain their regulatory effects on MQC. Furthermore, numerous scholars have demonstrated through preclinical studies, using animal or cell models, that marine algae and their bioactive compounds can improve muscle function, treat tumors, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and nervous system diseases, among other effects, by regulating MQC. Currently, this interdisciplinary field holds significant potential for development. This review primarily incorporates literature published between 2019 and 2025 that is highly relevant to the mechanisms of MQC regulation by marine algae and their bioactive compounds. It analyzes the latest research progress from three dimensions: mechanisms of action, molecular structures, and therapeutic applications. Furthermore, it identifies potential challenges and future research directions in the field, aiming to provide support for future drug development and treatment strategies.
Keywords: marine algae, bioactive compounds, Mitochondrial quality control, structure-activity relationship, experimental model, clinical translation
Received: 27 Aug 2025; Accepted: 21 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang and Nan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yi Nan, 20080011@nxmu.edu.cn
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