Problems and Prospects of Applications of Cyanobacteria (Review)

Abstract—This review focuses on cyanobacteria and their metabolites with beneficial properties for humans. Cyanobacteria metabolites are uniquely diverse. Many of them exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, anticarcinogenic, immunosuppressive, antioxidant activity, etc. The problems and prospects of using biologically active products of the cyanobacteria metabolism are discussed. The issues of obtaining pharmaceuticals and other valuable products (pigments, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, and biodegradable plastic) are considered, and the potential of cyanobacteria as a source of biofuels is evaluated.