Can algae contribute to the war with Covid-19?

Abstract

The world at large is facing a new threat with the emergence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Though imperceptible by the naked eye, the medical, sociological and economical implications caused by this newly discovered virus have been and will continue to be a great impediment to our lives. This health threat has already caused over two million deaths worldwide in the span of a year and its mortality rate is projected to continue rising. In this review, the potential of algae in combating the spread of COVID-19 is investigated since algal compounds have been tested against viruses and algal anti-inflammatory compounds have the potential to treat the severe symptoms of COVID-19. The possible utilization of algae in producing valueadded products such as serological test kits, vaccines, and supplements that would either mitigate or hinder the continued health risks caused by the virus is prominent. Many of the characteristics in algae can provide insights on the development of microalgae to fight against SARS-CoV-2 or other viruses and contribute in manufacturing various green and high-value products.

Biofuel production from Macroalgae: present scenario and future scope

“…Most features of the macroalgal biofuel production methods, including cultivation, harvesting, post-harvesting processing, product restoration, and implementation, and macroalgal bioproduct experiments, would be funded to educate users and aid in macroalgal biorefinery awareness. While addressing biological and engineering difficulties, it’s also important to concern about bioprocessing technologies, environmental sustainability, and constraints that might have recognized impact on policy or law [ 96 ]. Field application of various patents is a helpful indication for a better understanding of the success and development of the macroalgal biotechnology sector [ 21 ].…”

Molecular Mechanisms of Possible Action of Phenolic Compounds in COVID-19 Protection and Prevention

“…Complications accompanying COVID-19 can lead to organ dysfunction, metabolic acidosis, sepsis, blood coagulation dysfunction, cardiac arrest, and death [25]. Polyphenols and polyphenol-rich plants have been widely tested and used for the general treatment of COVID-19 [23,117,131,132]. An update on completed or recruiting clinical trials based on plants, their isolated products, and functional foods against COVID-19 is summarized in an article by Alam et al (2021) [133].…”

Integration of Algal Biofuels With Bioremediation Coupled Industrial Commodities Towards Cost-Effectiveness

“…Microalgae are also a source of several minerals and vitamins like vitamin A, vitamins of the B group like B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B8, B9, B12, vitamin C and E. Phytohormones like abscisic acid, gibberellins, auxin, cytokinin, ethylene, polyamines, salicylates, signal peptides, and brassinosteroids are produced by most of the microalgal lineages (Bajguz and Piotrowska-Niczyporuk, 2013;Galasso et al, 2019;Levasseur et al, 2020). Algae derived bioactive compounds have been suggested for treating COVID-19 disease (Chia et al, 2021). Approximately 73,000 algal species have been identified but few reached the commercial scale (Guiry, 2012).…”