This review focuses on the expanding role of marine collagen (MC)-based scaffolds for biomedical applications. A scaffold—a three-dimensional (3D) structure fabricated from biomaterials—is a key supporting element for cell attachment, growth, and maintenance in 3D cell culture and tissue engineering. The mechanical and biological properties of the scaffolds influence cell morphology, behavior, and function. MC, collagen derived from marine organisms, offers advantages over mammalian collagen due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, easy extractability, water solubility, safety, low immunogenicity, and low production costs. In recent years, the use of MC as an increasingly valuable scaffold biomaterial has drawn considerable attention from biomedical researchers. The characteristics, isolation, physical, and biochemical properties of MC are discussed as an understanding of MC in optimizing the subsequent modification and the chemistries behind important tissue engineering applications. The latest technologies behind scaffold processing are assessed and the biomedical applications of MC and MC-based scaffolds, including tissue engineering and regeneration, wound dressing, drug delivery, and therapeutic approach for diseases, especially those associated with metabolic disturbances such as obesity and diabetes, are discussed. Despite all the challenges, MC holds great promise as a biomaterial for developing medical products and therapeutics.

Skin diseases associated with inflammation or oxidative stress represent the most common problem in dermatology. The present study demonstrates that fish scale collagen peptides (FSCP) protect against CoCl₂‐induced cytotoxicity and TNF‐α‐induced inflammatory responses in human HaCaT keratinocyte cells. Our study is the first to report that FSCP increase cell viability and ameliorate oxidative injury in HaCaT cells through mechanisms mediated by the downregulation of key proinflammatory cytokines, namely, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐8, and iNOS. FSCP also prevent cell apoptosis by repressing Bax expression, caspase‐3 activity, and cytochrome c release and by upregulating Bcl‐2 protein levels in CoCl₂‐ or TNF‐α‐stimulated HaCaT cells. In addition, the inhibitory effects of FSCP on cytotoxicity and the induction of proinflammatory cytokine expression were found to be associated with suppression of the ROS, MAPK (p38/MAPK, ERK, and JNK), and NF‐κB signaling pathways. Taken together, our data suggest that FSCP are useful as immunomodulatory agents in inflammatory or immune‐mediated skin diseases. Furthermore, our results provide new insights into the potential therapeutic use of FSCP in the prevention and treatment of various oxidative‐ or inflammatory stress‐related inflammation and injuries.

Hydrogels are prototypical matrices for 3D cell culture, of which alginate hydrogels are extensively used. However, ionic crosslinking agents, such as Ca²⁺, are required to form alginate hydrogels, but introduce Ca²⁺-associated cytotoxicity and long-term stability issues. Collagen is a promising biomaterial for 3D cell culture scaffolds primarily due to its biocompatibility. In the present study, the authors designed and fabricated a calcium-free, physically crosslinked, efficient, and bioactive hydrogel composed of alginate, marine collagen, and agarose (AmCA) for use in 3D cell cultures. This AmCA hydrogel was assessed by FTIR, swelling property, scanning electron microscopy, phase contrast microscopy, cell proliferation, cell viability, confocal microscopy, transparency and RT-PCR analyses. The gel was found to exhibit excellent cytocompatibility with various tumor and non-tumor cells, to generate high yields of multicellular spheroids, and to promote cellular activity. Furthermore, the transparency of the AmCA hydrogel suggests it can be used without cell-tracking chemicals in morphological studies of cell cultures. Taken together, it would appear that the described physically crosslinked AmCA hydrogel could provide a novel platform for the development of customizable, transparent, biocompatible, functional, easy-to-produce, and cost-effective scaffolds for use in 3D cultures of various cell types.