An overview of odoriferous marine seaweeds of the Dictyopteris genus: insights into their chemical diversity, biological potential and ecological roles

ABSTRACT Since the middle of the twentieth century the marine algae have attracted attention as a source of new drugs. Dictyopteris is an important group of marine seaweeds and is widely distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. This genus is known by its characteristic “ocean smell”. Some species show a distinct phytochemistry, with specific secondary metabolites, including C11-hydrocarbons, sulfur compounds and quinone derivatives, not usually found in marine seaweeds and described for the first time in the literature. Furthermore, several terpenes, steroids and halogen...