Algal metabolites: Paving the way towards new generation antidiabetic therapeutics

Abstract

Diabetes is prevailing in pandemic proportions, as nearly half a billion population is affected by diabetes worldwide. The expenditure on diabetes healthcare is estimated to grow to $845 billion by 2045. However, identifying an efficient drug for completely curing diabetes and its complications is still unattainable. Given these challenges, we have discussed the range of storage molecules and pigments derived from microalgae, macroalgae, and cyanobacteria and explored their promising potential as antidiabetic drugs. Further, in silico studies have also been investigated for elucidating plausible molecular mechanisms of the most promising algal compounds. It is noteworthy that the chemical synthesis of bulky compounds is a cumbersome and less efficient process, whereas naturally occurring bulky compounds have complex stereospecific ornamentation of chemical groups executed by the number of stereospecific enzymes. On the other hand, growing algae in controlled conditions is an easy method to get various algal metabolites with a diverse array of chemical structures exhibiting pleiotropic antidiabetic activities. This review highlights the promising potential of algal metabolites to treat diabetes by targeting a variety of molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.