Abstract

Great attention is being paid to the natural sources which provide functional bioactive compounds having nutraceutical and food supplement value, and health benefits for prevention and treatment of diseases. Marine ecosystems have a high diversity as compared to terrestrial ecosystem. The interest in biologically active molecules from marine sources is increasing. These bioactive molecules include certain polysaccharides, several phytochemicals, pigments, peptides, fatty acids, vitamin and mineral nutrients. Production of secondary metabolites is an important phenomenon with respect to its adaption mechanism to marine ecosystem and they are drug precursors. Marine invertebrates are a diverse group and a reservoir of number of biologically active molecules. This review describes in brief the recent studies on these primary and secondary metabolites with reference to their potential use as nutraceuticals and health care.

Keywords: Nutraceuticals; Biologically active molecules; Marine ecosystem; Health benefits