The antiviral activities and mechanisms of marine polysaccharides: an overview

• Published in: Marine drugs Vol. 10; no. 12; pp. 2795 - 2816
• Main Authors: Wang, Wei, Wang, Shi-Xin, Guan, Hua-Shi
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 12.12.2012; MDPI
• Subjects: activity relationship; Alginates - chemistry; Alginates - isolation & purification; Alginates - pharmacology; Animals; antiviral activities; Antiviral Agents - chemistry; Antiviral Agents - isolation & purification; Antiviral Agents - pharmacology; Aquatic Organisms - chemistry; Biological Products - chemistry; Biological Products - isolation & purification; Biological Products - pharmacology; Carrageenan - chemistry; Carrageenan - isolation & purification; Carrageenan - pharmacology; heparinoid polysaccharide; Humans; Marine; marine polysaccharides; mechanisms of action; Polysaccharides - chemistry; Polysaccharides - isolation & purification; Polysaccharides - pharmacology; Review; structure– Structure-Activity Relationship
• ISSN: 1660-3397; 1660-3397
• DOI: 10.3390/md10122795

Recently, the studies on the antiviral activities of marine natural products, especially marine polysaccharides, are attracting more and more attention all over the world. Marine-derived polysaccharides and their lower molecular weight oligosaccharide derivatives have been shown to possess a variety of antiviral activities. This paper will review the recent progress in research on the antiviral activities and the mechanisms of these polysaccharides obtained from marine organisms. In particular, it will provide an update on the antiviral actions of the sulfated polysaccharides derived from marine algae including carrageenans, alginates, and fucans, relating to their structure features and the structure-activity relationships. In addition, the recent findings on the different mechanisms of antiviral actions of marine polysaccharides and their potential for therapeutic application will also be summarized in detail.