Chronicles of sponge biomaterials: The saga in biomedicine

Abstract

Marine environment is a prolific source of natural products and biomaterials of utmost importance in disease. Sponges are one of the better-known, diverse, multicellular invertebrates and abundant members of marine benthic communities. They are among the richest known sources of biologically active secondary metabolites of pharmaceutical significance. Researchers have been trying to explore the marine sponges not only for their associated pharmaceutical potential but also for the biomaterials including chitin/chitosan, ceramic, biosilica, and collagen since sponges are an excellent source of biocompatible materials to be used in biomedicine. This chapter covers an overview of sponge biomaterials and their possible applications in biomedicine.