Diabetes mellitus is a global health issue related to insulin that is associated
with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. Synthetic hypoglycemic medications can
be used to treat diabetes; however, long-term use of these medications has several
negative effects. As a result, there is a paradigm change in favor of using natural agents
that may be antidiabetic. The marine environment is a rich source of both biological
and chemical diversity, which is being investigated to identify novel compounds with
potential for use in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and nutritional supplement industries.
Marine organisms, especially marine macroalgae, comprise numerous significant novel
secondary metabolites possessing strong pharmacological characteristics that have been
identified. Sources of marine macroalgae include various bioactive compounds
exhibiting various health-promoting properties. Hence, the present chapter aimed to
discuss the different antidiabetic mechanisms of bioactive compounds from marine
macroalgae and also talked about the variety of marine macroalgal bioactive substances
that could help avoid or manage type 2 diabetes by focusing on several
pharmacologically significant pathways, such as preventing the activity of enzymes
like lipase, α-glucosidase, α-amylase, aldose reductase, protein tyrosine phosphatase
1B, and dipeptidyl-peptidase-4.
Keywords: Bioactive compounds, Diabetes mellitus, Marine macroalgae, Marine drugs, Pathways.
