Editorial: Marine Microbial-Derived Molecules and Their Potential Medical and Cosmetic Applications

Marine Delivery Vehicles: Molecular Components and Applications of Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles

In marine ecosystems, communication among microorganisms is crucial since the distance is significant if considered on a microbial scale. One of the ways to reduce this gap is through the production of extracellular vesicles, which can transport molecules to guarantee nutrients to the cells. Marine bacteria release extracellular vesicles (EVs), small membrane-bound structures of 40 nm to 1 µm diameter, into their surrounding environment. The vesicles contain various cellular compounds, including lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and glycans. EVs may contribute to dissolved organic carbon, thus facilitating heterotroph growth. This review will focus on marine bacterial EVs, analyzing their structure, composition, functions, and applications.

Extremophiles: the species that evolve and survive under hostile conditions

Extremophiles possess unique cellular and molecular mechanisms to assist, tolerate, and sustain their lives in extreme habitats. These habitats are dominated by one or more extreme physical or chemical parameters that shape existing microbial communities and their cellular and genomic features. The diversity of extremophiles reflects a long list of adaptations over millions of years. Growing research on extremophiles has considerably uncovered and increased our understanding of life and its limits on our planet. Many extremophiles have been greatly explored for their application in various industrial processes. In this review, we focused on the characteristics that microorganisms have acquired to optimally thrive in extreme environments. We have discussed cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in stability at respective extreme conditions like thermophiles, psychrophiles, acidophiles, barophiles, etc., which highlight evolutionary aspects and the significance of extremophiles for the benefit of mankind.

Application of Marine Microbial Natural Products in Cosmetics

As the market size of the cosmetics industry increases, the safety and effectiveness of new products face higher requirements. The marine environment selects for species of micro-organisms with metabolic pathways and adaptation mechanisms different from those of terrestrial organisms, resulting in their natural products exhibiting unique structures, high diversity, and significant biological activities. Natural products are usually safe and non-polluting. Therefore, considerable effort has been devoted to searching for cosmetic ingredients that are effective, safe, and natural for marine micro-organisms. However, marine micro-organisms can be difficult, or impossible, to culture because of their special environmental requirements. Metagenomics technology can help to solve this problem. Moreover, using marine species to produce more green and environmentally friendly products through biotransformation has become a new choice for cosmetic manufacturers. In this study, the natural products of marine micro-organisms are reviewed and evaluated with respect to various cosmetic applications.