ABSTRACT
Seaweeds are a source of many diverse chemicals. Several extracts, fractions, and natural products isolated from seaweeds have demonstrated effective anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity, making it an interesting base from which to develop new medicines. Of the seaweeds, red seaweeds produce metabolites such as acetogenins, sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes, bromophenols, and sulfated polysaccharides that can be used for anti-HIV drug development. Among the green algae, five were demonstrated to have antiviral activity — Acrosiphonia coalita , Codium fragile , Ulva linza Ulva australis , and Ulva sp. C. fragile was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis in the studies made by Kulshreshtha et al. (2015), and the extracts produced were tested for their antiviral activity. C. fragile had a higher amount of neutral sugar and ash. Griffithsin is a new type of lectin that displays potent antiviral activity against laboratory strains and primary isolates of HIV-1.
