The Biodiversity of the Genus : Phytochemical and Pharmacological Natural Products Prospectives.

Although a broad variety of classes of bioactive compounds have already been isolated from seaweeds of the genus , most different species are still chemically and biologically unexplored. species are well-known brown seaweeds belonging to the Dictyotaceae (Phaeophyta). The phytochemical composition within the genus has recently received considerable interest, and a vast array of components, including diterpenes, sesquiterepenes, sterols, amino acids, as well as saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, have been characterized. The contribution of these valued metabolites to the biological potential, which includes anti-proliferative, anti-microbial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hyperpigmentation activities, of the genus has also been explored. Therefore, this is the most comprehensive review, focusing on the published literature relevant to the chemically and pharmacologically diverse biopharmaceuticals isolated from different species of the genus during the period from 1976 to now.