%0 Journal Article
%T The Antiviral Activities and Mechanisms of Marine Polysaccharides: An Overview
%A Wei Wang
%A Shi-Xin Wang
%A Hua-Shi Guan
%J Marine Drugs
%D 2012
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/md10122795
%X Recently, the studies on the antiviral activities of marine natural products, especially marine polysaccharides, are attracting more and more attention all over the world. Marine-derived polysaccharides and their lower molecular weight oligosaccharide derivatives have been shown to possess a variety of antiviral activities. This paper will review the recent progress in research on the antiviral activities and the mechanisms of these polysaccharides obtained from marine organisms. In particular, it will provide an update on the antiviral actions of the sulfated polysaccharides derived from marine algae including carrageenans, alginates, and fucans, relating to their structure features and the structure¨Cactivity relationships. In addition, the recent findings on the different mechanisms of antiviral actions of marine polysaccharides and their potential for therapeutic application will also be summarized in detail.
%K marine polysaccharides
%K antiviral activities
%K mechanisms of action
%K heparinoid polysaccharide
%K structure¨Cactivity relationship
%U http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/12/2795