Abstract: Laver is a kind of seafood,which is common in daily life. Porphyran is a water-soluble heteropolysaccharide composed mainly of galactose and sulfuric acid. It is one of the main nutrients of laver and widely used in medicine,food,cosmetics and other fields. In recent twenty years,the research on the bioactivity of porphyran has increased rapidly and has been reported in many new fields. In this paper,the main research progress on the bioactivity and mechanism of porphyran in various fields is reviewed,providing reference for further development and high value application of laver.