Title:Promising Marine Natural Products for Tackling Viral Outbreaks:
A Focus on Possible Targets and Structure-activity Relationship
Volume: 23
Issue: 14
Author(s): Mirnawati Salampe*, Sukamto Salang Mamada, Yayu Mulsiani Evary, Saikat Mitra, Talha Bin Emran, Harapan Harapan, Firzan Nainu*Jesus Simal-Gandara*
Affiliation:
- Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Farmasi Makassar, Makassar, 90242, Indonesia
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy,
Hasanuddin University, Makassar, 90245, Indonesia
- Nutrition and Bromatology Group, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Vigo, Ourense Campus, E32004 Ourense, Spain
Keywords:
HIV, Zika virus, Ebola virus, SARS-CoV-2, Marine natural products, Mechanism of action, Structure-activity relationship.
Abstract: Recently, people worldwide have experienced several outbreaks caused by viruses that
have attracted much interest globally, such as HIV, Zika, Ebola, and the one being faced, SARSCoV-
2 viruses. Unfortunately, the availability of drugs giving satisfying outcomes in curing those
diseases is limited. Therefore, it is necessary to dig deeper to provide compounds that can tackle the
causative viruses. Meanwhile, the efforts to explore marine natural products have been gaining great
interest as the products have consistently shown several promising biological activities, including
antiviral activity. This review summarizes some products extracted from marine organisms, such as
seaweeds, seagrasses, sponges, and marine bacteria, reported in recent years to have potential antiviral
activities tested through several methods. The mechanisms by which those compounds exert
their antiviral effects are also described here, with several main mechanisms closely associated with
the ability of the products to block the entry of the viruses into the host cells, inhibiting replication
or transcription of the viral genetic material, and disturbing the assembly of viral components. In
addition, the structure-activity relationship of the compounds is also highlighted by focusing on six
groups of marine compounds, namely sulfated polysaccharides, phlorotannins, terpenoids, lectins,
alkaloids, and flavonoids. In conclusion, due to their uniqueness compared to substances extracted
from terrestrial sources, marine organisms provide abundant products having promising activities as
antiviral agents that can be explored to tackle virus-caused outbreaks.