Antiviral compounds from seaweeds: An overview

ABSTRACT

The interest in macroalgae has been growing worldwide in the recent years, due to the new discoveries regarding the numerous health benefits they provide to consumers, namely anti-viral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties that enhance resistance and ability to combat disease to consumers, granted by algae's bioactive molecules. In the light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is a renewed need to find cures, treatments or novel means to create immunity in the population against not only to the recently emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) but also to other viruses, in order to allow world populations to safely recover daily life routines. The aim of this chapter is to report the research and developments of possible treatments against virus, based on seaweed's bioactive compounds, from the first stage of development up to commercial products. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022. All rights reserved.