Engineered Marine Polysaccharide Carriers for Targeted Delivery in Diabetes Management

Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, which results from absolute or relative insulin deficiency as well as impaired insulin utilization. It is primarily classified into three categories: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Diabetic patients are also more susceptible to inflammation and infections, making the prevention of diabetic complications a central focus in clinical management. Current first-line pharmacological treatments, primarily insulin and other glucose-lowering agents, are limited by their short in vivo half-life and rapid degradation. To address these shortcomings, drug delivery systems based on novel nanocarriers have emerged as promising strategies to improve therapeutic outcomes. However, the safety and biocompatibility of such carriers remain key considerations in their development. Marine polysaccharides, which are abundant in oceanic ecosystems and commonly sourced from algae and crustaceans, offer notable practical advantages due to their natural availability, biocompatibility, and broad application potential. Employing marine-based carriers for drug delivery in diabetes represents a viable therapeutic approach. Furthermore, many natural marine polysaccharides exhibit intrinsic bioactivities, including immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects, which may provide additional benefits in managing diabetes and its associated complications. In this review, we first outline the current landscape of diabetes, summarize the known biological activities of marine polysaccharides (eg, Alginate, Chitosan, Fucoidan), and survey recent advances in the design of marine polysaccharide-based nanofunctional materials for drug delivery. Finally, we critically examine the challenges facing marine polysaccharide-mediated drug delivery strategies in diabetes treatment and offer perspectives on future directions in this evolving field.