Introduction: Marine ecosystems offer a rich reservoir of natural materials with significant biological and biotechnological potential. Marine polysaccharides, such as fucoidan, carrageenan, alginate, hyaluronic acid, and chitosan, possess unique properties, including solubility, antibacterial activity, and environmental sensitivity, making them ideal candidates for biomedical and drug-delivery applications. Methods: This review employed a systematic literature search across PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar using keywords such as marine polysaccharides, marine biomaterials, drug delivery systems, fucoidan, alginate, and chitosan combined with Boolean operators. Inclusion criteria comprised English-language original and review articles from 2000 to 2024 focusing on marine-derived biomaterials in drug delivery. Exclusion criteria included nonrelevant topics and non-English publications. Data were extracted and synthesized narratively to summarize chemical composition, biological activity, and applications of marine bioactive substances in drug delivery systems. Results: Marine bioactive compounds exhibit diverse chemical structures enabling their incorporation into hydrogels, nanoparticles, and capsules for drug delivery applications. Marine polysaccharides and proteins demonstrate significant potential for regenerative medicine, gene transfer, targeted distribution, and controlled drug release. Additionally, marine organisms such as algae and sponges provide scaffolds for tissue engineering and wound healing applications. Discussion: The integration of marine-derived biomaterials into drug delivery systems offers advantages over conventional synthetic polymers, including enhanced biocompatibility, biodegradability, and biological functionality. However, variability in composition, scalability challenges, and regulatory concerns require further standardization. Comparative analyses reveal superior stability, targeting capacity, and reduced toxicity profiles for marine-based systems. Conclusion: Marine-derived polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids address limitations of traditional drug delivery methods by offering innovative solutions for targeted delivery, controlled release, and overcoming biological barriers. Continued research into marine bioresources will advance the development of sustainable, patient-friendly, and effective therapeutic systems for diverse biomedical applications.
Mittal et al. (Wed,) studied this question.