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Review
. 2022 May 6;15(5):581.
doi: 10.3390/ph15050581.

Advances in Research on Antiviral Activities of Sulfated Polysaccharides from Seaweeds

Qiang Wei  1 , Guoqiang Fu  2 , Ke Wang  1 , Qiong Yang  1 , Jiarui Zhao  1 , Yuan Wang  1 , Kai Ji  3 , Shuliang Song  1
Affiliations
Review

Advances in Research on Antiviral Activities of Sulfated Polysaccharides from Seaweeds

Qiang Wei et al. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). .

Abstract

In recent years, various viral diseases have suddenly erupted, resulting in widespread infection and death. A variety of biological activities from marine natural products have gradually attracted the attention of people. Seaweeds have a wide range of sources, huge output, and high economic benefits. This is very promising in the pharmaceutical industry. In particular, sulfated polysaccharides derived from seaweeds, considered a potential source of bioactive compounds for drug development, have shown antiviral activity against a broad spectrum of viruses, mainly including common DNA viruses and RNA viruses. In addition, sulfated polysaccharides can also improve the body's immunity. This review focuses on recent advances in antiviral research on the sulfated polysaccharides from seaweeds, including carrageenan, galactan, fucoidan, alginate, ulvan, p-KG03, naviculan, and calcium spirulan. We hope that this review will provide new ideas for the development of COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; algae; antiviral; seaweed; sulfated polysaccharides; viruses.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a–d) Heparan sulfate plays an important role in the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S-protein) to ACE2 and related viral infections. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [34]. ©2021, Rajkumar Sigh Kalra et al., (CC BY 4.0) (for a detailed interpretation of Figure 1, the reader is referred to [34,36]).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Viral infection and the antiviral phase of seaweed polysaccharides. Reused with permission, license number: 5265040871103 Adapted with permission from Ref. [140]. ©2017, Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Major inflammatory pathways mediated by the immune system and polysaccharide signaling mechanisms that may contribute to immunosuppressive pro-inflammatory production pathways. (A) Direct route mediated by mitochondria; (B) MyD88 protein signaling pathway; (C) MAPK protein signaling pathway. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [145]. ©2021, Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (for a detailed interpretation of Figure 3, the reader is referred to [145,146]).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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