Potential Antiviral Agents from Marine Fungi: An Overview

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Soheil Zorofchian Moghadamtousi, University of Malaya; Sonia Nikzad, University of Malaya; Habsah Abdu Kadir, University of Malaya; Sazaly Abubakar, University of Malaya; Keivan Zandi, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2015-07-01
• Publisher: MDPI
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/md13074520
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Marine Drugs
• ISSN: 1660-3397
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 7
• Start Page: 4520
• End Page: 4538
• Grant/Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Malaysia, for High Impact Research (HIR) MOHE Grant (E000013-20001) and Long-Range Grant Scheme (LRGS) LR001/2011F. We also would like to thank University Malaya for UMRG fund (RG356-15AFR).
• Keywords: HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS; ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY; CLADOSPORIUM SP; VIRUS-INFECTION; Chemistry, Medicinal; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; MOUTH-DISEASE; DRUG-RESISTANCE; Science & Technology; ASPERGILLUS-TERREUS; NATURAL-PRODUCTS; Pharmacology & Pharmacy; ENTEROVIRUS 71; BIOLOGICAL-ACTIVITIES
• Research Categories: Biology, Microbiology; Health Sciences, Epidemiology

Abstract

Biodiversity of the marine world is only partially subjected to detailed scientific scrutiny in comparison to terrestrial life. Life in the marine world depends heavily on marine fungi scavenging the oceans of lifeless plants and animals and entering them into the nutrient cycle by. Approximately 150 to 200 new compounds, including alkaloids, sesquiterpenes, polyketides, and aromatic compounds, are identified from marine fungi annually. In recent years, numerous investigations demonstrated the tremendous potential of marine fungi as a promising source to develop new antivirals against different important viruses, including herpes simplex viruses, the human immunodeficiency virus, and the influenza virus. Various genera of marine fungi such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Fusarium were subjected to compound isolation and antiviral studies, which led to an illustration of the strong antiviral activity of a variety of marine fungi-derived compounds. The present review strives to summarize all available knowledge on active compounds isolated from marine fungi with antiviral activity.