Bioactive substances with antibacterial antiviral and antifungal activity obtained from cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria and microalgae are recognized as potential producers of new natural substances and represent valuable sources of bioactive substances (including metabolites), which are of increasing interest from researchers for their beneficial health effects. The exploitation of cyanobacterial strains rich in new pharmacologically important bioactive components, including antimicrobial substances (antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral) is very current due to the emergence and spread of resistance of pathogens to the used antibiotics. Some studies have reported promising results regarding cyanobacteria as rich sources of bioactive compounds with antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, algicidal and cytotoxic activities, which open the prospect of their application for therapeutic purposes. The review presents various characteristics of cyanobacteria, including their ability to produce compounds with biological activities, including antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal, make them suitable candidates for their exploitation as a natural source of bioactive agents.