Harnessing Thalassochemicals: Marine Saponins as Bioactive Agents in Nutraceuticals and Food Technologies

The growing field of nutraceuticals and food technology is significantly advancing due to the integration of novel bioactive compounds such as marine saponins. These so-called thalassochemicals exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including antitumor, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects, distinguishing them from their terrestrial counterparts due to unique molecular features like sulfated sugar residues. Their amphiphilic nature influences their biological interactions, making them promising candidates for nutraceutical development. This review comprehensively explores marine saponins' structural, biochemical, and physicochemical properties and their potential applications in functional foods and therapeutic formulations. It discusses the challenges associated with their extraction, stability, and bioavailability and emphasizes innovative solutions such as supercritical fluid extraction, encapsulation techniques, and nanotechnology-based delivery systems. These advancements bridge the gap between pharmacology and food science, enhancing the efficacy and controlled release by using marine saponins. Furthermore, we examine their bioactivity at the molecular level, focusing on interactions with cellular receptors and key signaling pathways involved in inflammation, immune modulation, and metabolic regulation. While computational studies, including molecular dynamics and docking, have begun to elucidate structure-activity relationships (SARs), applying machine learning in predicting bioactivity remains an underexplored yet promising approach. Incorporating quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models may provide a predictive framework for assessing marine saponins' functional properties, facilitating identifying new therapeutic applications. Finally, we discuss the regulatory landscape and consumer perspectives influencing the commercialization of marine saponins in functional foods and nutraceuticals, highlighting sustainability considerations in sourcing and production. This review outlines a roadmap for leveraging marine saponins as key components of next-generation health-promoting products by integrating recent advancements in food technology, computational modeling, and bioinformatics.