Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Medical Microbiology, Tropical Infectious Disease Research and Education Center (TIDREC), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Biochemistry Program, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Medical Microbiology, Tropical Infectious Disease Research and Education Center (TIDREC), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ; The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr 7514633341, Iran
Biomed Res Int, 2015;2015:825203.
PMID: 26484353 DOI: 10.1155/2015/825203

Abstract

From food to fertilizer, algal derived products are largely employed in assorted industries, including agricultural, biomedical, food, and pharmaceutical industries. Among different chemical compositions isolated from algae, polysaccharides are the most well-established compounds, which were subjected to a variety of studies due to extensive bioactivities. Over the past few decades, the promising results for antiviral potential of algae-derived polysaccharides have advocated them as inordinate candidates for pharmaceutical research. Numerous studies have isolated various algal polysaccharides possessing antiviral activities, including carrageenan, alginate, fucan, laminaran, and naviculan. In addition, different mechanisms of action have been reported for these polysaccharides, such as inhibiting the binding or internalization of virus into the host cells or suppressing DNA replication and protein synthesis. This review strives for compiling previous antiviral studies of algae-derived polysaccharides and their mechanism of action towards their development as natural antiviral agents for future investigations.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.