*Corresponding author: E-mail: nurhanimzainudin@gmail.com, farid@usm.my. Journal of Advanced Laboratory Research in Biology E-ISSN: 0976-7614 Volume 5, Issue 3, July 2014 PP 46-53 https:/ / e-journal.sospublication.co.in Review Article Marine Sourced Glycosaminoglycans ‘GAGs’ Nur Hanim Zainudin 1 *, K.N.S. Sirajudeen 2 and Farid C. Ghazali 1 1 Biomedical Sciences Department, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia-16150, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia. 2 Chemical Pathology Department, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia-16150, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia. Abstract: Globally, there is an uprising interest for availability of tangible, novel, added value, sustainable commercial exploitable therapeutic compounds from naturally derived sources. The paper will highlight bioactive compounds of therapeutic potential from marine sources such as polysaccharides, especially glycosaminoglycans. It is now well documented, and this effort combined with a green technological approach in sustainable natural biodiversity will allow the development of a new generation of therapeutics. Outsourcing for a biocompatible, non-mutational bioactive compound such as GAG’s in a worldwide research and industrial agenda. Hence, the thorough understanding on how the biosynthesis, structure and function of complex glycosaminoglycans will reveal the polysaccharides from the marine environment could provide a valid alternative to traditional polysaccharides such as glycosaminoglycans. Keywords: Marine, Sulfated Polysaccharides, GAG, Crown-of-Thorns (COT). 1. Introduction The oceans cover more than 70% of the world surface and between 36 known living phyla, 34 are taxonomied within the marine environments with more than 300000 odd known species of fauna and flora [1,2,3] . Per se, the biodiversity of the marine environment and its associated biological and chemical biodiversity constitute a tangible practically unlimited bioresource of new bioactive substances or in outsourcing of biocompounds in the field of the development and optimization of novel sustainable commercially exploitable bioactive marine based product [4,5] . Marine organisms have been known from time immemorial to possess curative powers. But until recently, their bioactive compounds, nutraceutical properties, and green technology optimized commercial potential remained undiscovered. The marine world represents a largely untapped reservoir of bioactive ingredients that can be applied in numerous aspects of food processing, storage, and fortification. Thus, the marine environment is an exceptional reservoir of bioactive natural products, many of which exhibit structural or chemical features not scientifically evidence located within terrestrial natural products. These marine-derived functional ingredients are such as certain polysaccharides (sulfated or total), polyphenols, polyunsaturated fatty acids and carotenoids, which have been reported to have a definitive global role as nutraceutical in improving human health and nutrition [6] . Plants and terrestrial microorganisms (especially those from soil samples) are traditionally in the focus of the search for new drug candidates from nature (also called “bioprospecting”). Due to the repeated re- isolation of already known compounds, the emphasis on the search for new drug-like chemical entities is nowadays shifting to less investigated organisms from unique habitats such as the sea [7,8] . So far, seven drugs derived from marine natural products are already registered either in the EU or in the US and many more are under clinical or preclinically investigated. The concept of nutraceutical has been derived by coining the terms "nutrition" and "pharmaceutical". In this context, active substances with pharmaceutical properties are delivered to the humans through food- based approaches to prevent or treat certain disease conditions. Since the natural sources are recognized as