Abstract
The increasing drug resistance of pathogenic microorganisms raises concern worldwide and necessitates the search for new natural compounds with antibacterial properties. Marine algae are considered a natural and attractive biotechnological source of novel antibiotics. The high antimicrobial activity of their polyphenolic compounds is a promising basis for designing innovative pharmaceuticals. They can become both a serious alternative to traditional antimicrobial agents and an effective supplement to antibiotic therapy. The present review summarizes the results of numerous studies on polyphenols from algae and the range of biological activities that determine their biomedical significance. The main focus is put on a group of the polyphenolic metabolites referred to as phlorotannins and, particularly, on their structural diversity and mechanisms of antimicrobial effects. Brown algae are an almost inexhaustible resource with a high biotechnological potential for obtaining these polyfunctional compounds. An opinion is expressed that the effectiveness of the antibacterial activity of phlorotannins depends on the methods of their extraction aimed at preserving the phenolic structure. The use of modern analytical tools opens up a broad range of opportunities for studying the metabolic pathways of phlorotannins and identifying their structural and functional relationships. The high antimicrobial activity of phlorotannins against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria provides a promising framework for creating novel drugs to be used in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.
Highlights
Antimicrobials are essential medicines used for the treatment of human and animal diseases.the constantly emerging new and expanding ranges of long-existing pathogens that have resistance to antimicrobial drugs in the world’s population are becoming an increasing concern worldwide [1,2]
It should be noted that the fewest candidates for medicinal agents have been found among natural objects to date, especially among aquatic organisms, despite the large number of works published in the literature for several decades, considering the antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity of metabolites derived from marine algae and invertebrates
Other researchers [100] have investigated the antibacterial activity of EtOAc, a soluble fraction of a methanol extract, which is characterized by the following parameters: for P. acnes, the growth inhibition zone is 9 mm at a fraction concentration of 1 mg/disk and 12–19 mm at 5 mg/disk; for S. aureus and S. epidermidis, 10 mm at a fraction concentration of 1 mg/disc and 16 and 20 mm, respectively, at a fraction concentration of 5 mg/disc
Summary
Antimicrobials are essential medicines used for the treatment of human and animal diseases. Antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon, but the uncontrolled use of these drugs by humans and their inappropriate administration to animals accelerate this process [3]. Treatment of a greater number of infectious diseases (such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, salmonellosis, etc.) becomes a challenge due to the decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics. Drug resistance results in a longer hospital stay, increased economic costs for health care, and increased mortality [4]. In this regard, there is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial and non-toxic compounds with improved pharmacological characteristics and a different mechanism of action, to which microorganisms would not develop resistance. It should be noted that the fewest candidates for medicinal agents have been found among natural objects to date, especially among aquatic organisms, despite the large number of works published in the literature for several decades, considering the antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity of metabolites derived from marine algae and invertebrates
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