Antibacterial and antiviral metabolites from cyanobacteria: Their application and their impact on human health

Bacterial and viral infections pose a direct threat to human health due to the increase of drug-resistant and novel pathogenic strains. Natural products represent a prolific source of bioactive metabolites, which have been exploited for their therapeutic effects. In particular, cyanobacteria were identified as important producers of secondary metabolites possessing antibacterial and antiviral activities, among others. A meta-analysis indi-cated that some natural product classes target bacteria or viruses exclusively. This result also applied for some cyanobacterial species that were identified to produce only antibacterial or antiviral compounds. Furthermore, cyanobacteria represent a promising host for bio-production due to their ability to perform photosynthesis and their low-cost production requirements. This review highlights antibacterial and antiviral compounds isol iso-lated from cyanobacteria and the biotechnological application of these organisms .

Automated summary

Bacterial and viral infections pose a direct threat to human health due to drug-resistant strains, with natural products being a rich source of bioactive metabolites with therapeutic effects. Cyanobacteria are important producers of antibacterial and antiviral compounds, making them a promising host for bioproduction due to their ability to perform photosynthesis and low-cost production requirements.