A review of current research in the field of chemistry and pharmacology of algae

Abstract

Microalgae represent a large group of prokaryotic and eukaryotic, mainly photoautotrophic, single-cell or colony-forming microorganisms. These microorganisms are recognized as renewable, sustainable and economically profitable sources of biofuels and biologically active compounds for the production of drugs and food additives. Microalgae compounds, such as carbohydrates, peptides, lipids and carotenoids, attract particular attention in pharmaceutical biotechnology and medicine due to their antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral and antioxidant properties. In addition, microalgae are suitable organisms for the production of recombinant proteins/ peptides, such as monoclonal antibodies and vaccines. In this work, we aim to review publications by domestic and foreign researchers on the pharmacological effects of biologically active microalgal compounds. The literature search was performed using the ResearchGate, PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Google Scholar and eLibrary databases covering the period from 2000 to 2022. The article provides information on a wide range of pharmacological effects of biologically active compounds of microalgae, which are shown to exhibit antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, antioxidant, regenerating, hypotensive, immune-stimulating and anti-inflammatory activity. The mechanisms of the main pharmacological effects are described. The main pharmacological effect was established to be the antimicrobial action. The data presented in this review can be useful when determining promising directions for the development of drugs based on algae extracts.