Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: A Factory of Nutraceutical and Food Supplements for Human Health

Abstract

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) is one of the most well-studied microalgae organisms that revealed important information for the photosynthetic and metabolic processes of plants and eukaryotes. Numerous extensive studies have also underpinned its great potential as a biochemical factory, capable of producing various highly desired molecules with a direct impact on human health and longevity. Polysaccharides, lipids, functional proteins, pigments, hormones, vaccines, and antibodies are among the valuable biomolecules that are produced spontaneously or under well-defined conditions by C. reinhardtii and can be directly linked to human nutrition and diet. The aim of this review is to highlight the recent advances in the field focusing on the most relevant applications related to the production of important biomolecules for human health that are also linked with human nutrition and diet. The limitations and challenges are critically discussed along with the potential future applications of C. reinhardtii biomass and processed products in the field of nutraceuticals and food supplements. The increasing need for high-value and low-cost biomolecules produced in an environmentally and economy sustainable manner also underline the important role of C. reinhardtii.

Functional and Extracellular Production and Antitumor Activity of Mouse Alpha Klotho in Model Microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

“…Nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have already been sequenced and proven to be a suitable platform for recombinant protein/peptide production [33,34] . In addition, Chlamydomonas is an edible and genetically recognized as safe (GRAS) organism and can be grown on a large scale on simple media, making Chlamydomonas a captivating molecular farming host for human therapeutic proteins [35] . Chlamydomonas also harbors a great potential as a sunlight – and CO 2 ‐powered and low‐cost and scalable production platform for the secretion of recombinant proteins.…”

“…[33,34] In addition, Chlamydomonas is an edible and genetically recognized as safe (GRAS) organism and can be grown on a large scale on simple media, making Chlamydomonas a captivating molecular farming host for human therapeutic proteins. [35] Chlamydomonas also harbors a great potential as a sunlight -and CO 2 -powered and low-cost and scalable production platform for the secretion of recombinant proteins. In such a case, the cell-free culture supernatant is the main product, and the remaining algal biomass can be further used as by-products for alternative industries that promise to reduce input costs such as bioplastics, pigments, antioxidants and biofuels.…”

Functional Production, Extracellular Expression, and Antitumor Activity of Mouse Alpha-Klotho in Model Microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

“…Nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have already been sequenced and proven to be a suitable platform for recombinant protein/peptide production (Kathir et al 2003; Reyes-Barrera et al 2021). In addition, Chlamydomonas is an edible and GRAS organism and can be grown on a large scale on simple media, making Chlamydomonas a captivating molecular farming host for human therapeutic proteins (Masi et al 2023).…”

Recent advances and fundamentals of microalgae cultivation technology

“…The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized C. reinhardtii microalgae for human consumption, and it was widely utilized for the manufacture of protein. [176][177][178] Genetic modification of this strain allowed it to effectively accumulate zeolin (chimeric recombinant protein of zein and phaseolin, the major seed storage proteins from maize and beans), thus creating a promising platform for protein production. [66] Remarkably, compared to individual proteins, the zein and phaseolin chimera have a better balanced amino acid composition.…”