Anticancer, Antiviral, Antibacterial, and Antifungal Properties in Microalgae
Abstract
Microalgae and cyanobacteria are photoautotrophic microorganisms, present in almost all ecosystems around the world. Due to their rich biodiversity and possibly high growth performances, microalgae are the basis of most aquatic ecosystems; however, they constitute a vast bioresource, underexplored and underexploited yet. Regarding health and disease prevention, microalgae and cyanobacteria have been recognized as potential sources of new natural antimicrobial substances. Indeed, these organisms produce a great variety of bioactive secondary metabolites, which are accumulated in the cell or excreted in the surrounding environments, usually at the end of the exponential and the stationary phase of growth. Many of these metabolites display antibacterial activity, such as free saturated or unsaturated fatty acids, and there is a research effort to find natural molecules to allow limiting the misuse of commercial antibiotics, because their prolonged use may result in the development of resistant bacterial strains. Other microalgal and cyanobacterial compounds present antiproliferative or antifungal properties, or are able to inhibit viral infection and/or replication. One major potential but promising commercial application of these substances is thus the area of pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, and other biologically active compounds.