Medicinal seahorses (Hippocampus spp.) for Alzheimer's disease within species conservation framework: an integrated review of ethnopharmacology, bioactivity, bibliometrics, and network pharmacology.

Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.) have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries and are now regarded as underexplored but promising marine resources for modern drug discovery. This review reassesses medicinal seahorses as a potential marine resource for identifying multi-target candidates relevant to Alzheimer's disease (AD) by integrating taxonomy and distribution, conservation, and aquaculture status, ethnomedicinal use, chemical composition, and pharmacology, as well as bibliometric and network-pharmacology analyses. Using published surveys and global databases, we collated records indicating 16 Hippocampus species in Chinese waters and identify five pharmacopeial taxa whose dependence on fragile coastal habitats contrasts with the recent expansion of captive-breeding, tank and pond-based culture, suggesting that regulated aquaculture can supply traceable raw material and alleviate pressure on wild populations. Bibliometric mapping of Web of Science records (1979-2024) shows a shift from aquaculture and conservation towards antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and AD-related research. Across the five medicinal species, 329 reported constituents reflect substantial chemical diversity that may contribute to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, endocrine and immunomodulatory activities with potential relevance to AD-related pathophysiology. Network-pharmacology analysis links 276 structurally defined compounds to an AD-associated gene module, highlighting a core module centered on APP, JUN and PPARγ as putative mechanistic nodes. This article is based solely on published data and involves no new field collection or experimentation on wild seahorses. We propose that future work should rely on species-verified, aquaculture-derived material, rigorous chemical characterization, and quality control, AD-focused mechanistic and pharmacokinetic studies, and synthetic or biotechnological production of key constituents to support the ethically and ecologically responsible exploration of Hippocampus-based candidates relevant to AD.