Is biomass of filamentous green algae Cladophora spp. (Chlorophyta, Ulvophyceae) an unlimited cheap and valuable resource for medicine and pharmacology? A review

Filamentous green algae Cladophora spp. are cosmopolitans inhabiting waters with different salinity, from freshwater to hypersaline. Eutrophication of marine and inland waters results in the huge development of filamentous green algae, which reach high biomass and occupy large areas in different water bodies. This leads to the strong negative effect on the species richness of communities, significantly reduces the aesthetic value of coastal waters, hampers the recreational use of beaches and the coastline, and complicates industrial water intake and coastal fishing. Harvesting and the use of Cladophora biomass can be an effective tool to remediate eutrophic waters. Cladophora spp. are also among the most promising subjects to use in the development of integrated multi‐trophic aquaculture; there is a big potential to use it. Aquaculture is one of the potential uses. To plan the use of a resource, business needs to know the availability and quantity of the resource, the price of the resource, as well as for what benefit and how it can be used. This review summarizes and analyses existing data to answer these questions. Cladophora biomass can be used for food for humans, livestock, cultivated fish and shrimps, as fertilizers, in the energy sector (biogas and biodiesel), and different industries. The use of Cladophora in medicine and pharmacology is one of the most profitable promising ways to utilize the biomass. This review shows that Cladophora biomass is an unlimited, low cost and valuable resource for medicine and pharmacology.