Microalgae as antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents: a review

Bacterial biofilms produce the majority of medical infections, and biofilm formation is also associated with 60–70% of nosocomial infections. It has become a huge public health concern as antibiotics' effectiveness is dwindling at an alarming rate due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant microbes. Microalgae, both eukaryotic and prokaryotic, have been found to produce intracellular and extracellular metabolites with a variety of biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antibiofilm activity by microalgae and cyanobacteria species. Several compounds have been reported to possess antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity, including phenol, hexadecanoic acid, phycocyanin, phycobiliproteins, hassallidin, parsinguine, gambierdic acids, tannins, terpenoids, and flavonoids. This review outlines the uses of microalgae as a renewable and underexploited resource for antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents and its prospects.