4 | MNPs: PROMISING BIOMEDICAL RESOURCES FOR IRCVD
Generally speaking, chronic or acute infection highly links to CVD
(hypertension, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, heart failure, and
stroke), and other mNCDs, such as diabetes, cancer, respiratory and
renal diseases, as well the related cardiovascular, diabetes, and cancer
(CDC) strips [42, 43]. Here, the infection-related CVD is referred
to as irCVD. Since MNPs have numerous health benefits, such as
antioxidant, anti-infection, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant,
anti-diabetic effects, and cancer treatment [44, 45], they are not
only suitable for treatment of infectious diseases, but also suitable
for control and prevention irCVD and other mNCDs (Table 1).
In fact, MNPs derived compounds extracted from marine organisms are
major sources of innovative medicine. And targeting lipid metabolism may
treat related diseases [46]. Diphlorethohydroxycarmalol (DPHC)
isolated from ishige okamurae (a brown algae) might be a potent
inhibitor for alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase, which can alleviates
postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetic mice [47]. Cytotoxic
prodiginines isolated from marine bacteria have the antimelanoma effects
by provoking cytostatic rather than cytotoxic effects, cell cycle arrest
at G0/G1 phase, induction of apoptosis and DNA damage, downregulation of
survivin, and decreased clonogenic capacity in survivin knockdown cells
[48].
Current studies showed that there are high associations between
coronavirus (the SARS-CoV-2 and its variants) infection and CVD. As we
known, cardiovascular health highly links to physical activity,
nutrition, human immune status, and respiratory function, coronavirus
can damage cardiovascular system by targeted respiratory and immune
function [49]. On the one hand, COVID-9 may result in
infection-related multi-organs failure in acute severe cases and mNCDs
in the recovery cases, such as respiratory diseases, irCVD, and chronic
kidney disease. On the other hand, as important risk factors for
mortality, mNCDs are more strongly associated with outcomes and
infection death in cases with COVID-19 [50].
Due to related vascular inflammation and direct vascular endothelial
injury [51], SARS-CoV-2 infection may contribute to heart failure or
other cardiovascular complications and multipleorgan failure. Heart
failure in cases with COVID-19 involves in the abnormal activation of
multiple inflammatory pathways [52]. Many studies found that a large
number of cases with severe COVID-19 are easy to suffer from thrombotic
complications in the venous and arterial systems. A report of an
international panel showed that confirmed or suspected cases with
COVID-19 infection have a high rate of acute ischemic stroke [53].
In fact, as a central feature of cases with SARS-CoV-2 infection,
cerebrovascular events (stroke, ischemia, cerebrovascular injury,
cerebral hemorrhage) often meet due to complement cascade, cytokine
cascades, and endotheliopathy in the cerebral vasculature [54].
Thus, during the pandemic, there is an arising need of a more positive
and intense thromboprophylaxis among cases hospitalized with COVID-19
due to asymptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) [55].
Due to acute cardiac injury [56], cardiac arrhythmias [57, 58],
major adverse cardiocerebrovascular events (MACCE) such as acute
arterial events, a hypercoagulable status [59], and high mortality
rate in cases with SARS-CoV-2 infection, better strategies are necessary
to fight against COVID-19 and protect cardiovascular health. Hence,
effective anti-infection of SARS-CoV-2 will help to protect
cardiovascular system, reduce cardiac injury and cardiac arrest, and
other irCVDs.
Since MNPs have a great potential role of anti-infection of SARS-CoV-2,
they will also help to prevent irCVD. Some bioactive molecules extracted
from marine organisms (vertebrates, invertebrates, seaweeds, or sea
microorganisms) can be used not only to prevent SARS-Cov-2 infection but
also to treat hypertension due to ACE inhibitory activity [30]. As
one of MNPs with anticoagulant, thrombolytic, and fibrinolytic
activities [60], seaweed has potential value for clinical use due to
their natural origin, safety, and low cost. However, regardless of its
anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, currently, no enough
evidence to support the supposed favorable effects of statin (non-MNPs)
therapy on COVID-19 outcomes [61].
A study found that mineral-balanced deep sea water [magnesium
(Mg):calcium (Ca)=3:1] (MB-DSW) has anti-atopic dermatitis activity
due to regression of inflammatory chemokines [62]. Other studies
found that MB-DSW has anti-diabetic and anti-obesity action [63] due
to the stimulatory effect on mitochondrial biogenesis and function and
enriched with Mg and Ca, and the effects on cholesterol metabolism
[64] due to prevention of the high glucose- or FFA/glucose-induced
increase of cellular cholesterol levels, and the role of the prevention
of ultraviolet light-induced skin cancer development [65] due to
enhancing skin cell clearance through the activation of autophagic cell
death.
In addition, recombinant photoproteins from different marine organisms
as a promising analytical tool have a big role in biomedical research
fields [66], such as the measurement of Ca2+ in
different intracellular compartments of animal cells, as labels in the
design and development of binding assays as well as the emerging use of
bioluminescence. All in all, from anti-infection of coronavirus (the
SARS-CoV-2 and its variants) to preventing irCVD, MNPs are huge
biomedical resources, which is worthy of developing bio-agents.