Exploring Neurological Disorder Therapeutics: The Progress and Future Prospects of Proteins and Peptides Derived from...

Neurological illnesses continue to be a major global health challenge and require novel and safe therapeutic strategies. Blue foods like marine fish, algae, and invertebrates consist of many bioactive proteins/peptides that might provide multiple benefits for maintenance of a healthy brain, including neuroprotection, reduction of inflammation, and reduction of oxidative stress. This review looks at both recent advances made with blue food bio-molecules and their potential future roles in therapeutic targeting for neurological disorders.

This study is designed as a narrative review, aiming to comprehensively summarize and critically analyze existing literature on marine-derived bioactive peptides and their neuroprotective potential. Literature searches were conducted from January 2009 to March 2025 using PubMed and other biomedical databases.

Available preclinical evidence suggests that marine-derived proteins and peptides may exert neuroprotective effects through multiple mechanisms, including activation of antioxidant defense pathways via Nrf2-mediated signaling, modulation of NF-κB-associated neuroinflammatory responses, regulation of serotonergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission, and attenuation of amyloid-β aggregation. Experimental studies conducted in animal models have reported improvements in cognitive performance, reductions in oxidative stress biomarkers, and decreased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines following administration of marine protein hydrolysates.

Clinical translation of marine-derived bioactive peptides remains challenging due to the following factors: standardization of extraction, bioavailability, batch-to-batch variability, allergenic potency, and complex regulatory requirements. Ongoing new approaches using nano-formulation, synthetic biology, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the discovery of peptides hold the promise of enhancing their stability, targeting, and scalability. However, in order to validate the therapeutic utility of these approaches, it will require large, well-designed clinical studies.