Current Trends on Seaweeds: Looking at Chemical Composition, Phytopharmacology, and Cosmetic Applications
Bahare Salehi,
Javad Sharifi-Rad,
Ana M. L. Seca,
Diana C. G. A. Pinto,
Izabela Michalak,
Antonio Trincone,
Abhay Prakash Mishra,
Manisha Nigam,
Wissam Zam,
Natália Martins
Affiliations
Bahare Salehi
Student Research Committee, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam 4340847, Iran
Javad Sharifi-Rad
Zabol Medicinal Plants Research Center, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol 61615-585, Iran
Ana M. L. Seca
cE3c- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group & University of Azores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
Diana C. G. A. Pinto
QOPNA & LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Izabela Michalak
Department of Advanced Material Technologies, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Smoluchowskiego 25, 50-372 Wroclaw, Poland
Antonio Trincone
Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 80078 Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy
Abhay Prakash Mishra
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal-246174, Uttarakhand, India
Manisha Nigam
Department of Biochemistry, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal-246174, Uttarakhand, India
Wissam Zam
Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Andalus University for Medical Sciences, Tartous, Syria
Natália Martins
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
Seaweeds have received huge interest in recent years given their promising potentialities. Their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, hypolipemic, and anticoagulant effects are among the most renowned and studied bioactivities so far, and these effects have been increasingly associated with their content and richness in both primary and secondary metabolites. Although primary metabolites have a pivotal importance such as their content in polysaccharides (fucoidans, agars, carragenans, ulvans, alginates, and laminarin), recent data have shown that the content in some secondary metabolites largely determines the effective bioactive potential of seaweeds. Among these secondary metabolites, phenolic compounds feature prominently. The present review provides the most remarkable insights into seaweed research, specifically addressing its chemical composition, phytopharmacology, and cosmetic applications.
