Microalgal Rainbow Colours for Nutraceutical and Pharmaceutical Applications

Abstract

Microalgae , one of the largest global primary producers, are a potential source of bioactive compounds. They are unique in producing superfi ne chemicals that can be used in various industrial sectors like pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. The chapter is intended to provide an insight to two of the most important pigments obtained from them, phycobiliproteins and carotenoids having species specifi city which can be used as a chemotaxonomic marker. Their unique structural properties play a crucial role in their biological functions. The water-soluble phycobiliproteins are used as fl uorescent tags in fl ow cytometry and immunochemistry, while liposoluble carotenoids are potential alternatives to synthetic dyes in the food industry.

Cyanobacterial Pigments as Natural Anti-Hyperglycemic Agents: An In vitro Study

“…The fluorescent property of phycobiliproteins is due to their unique chromophores bound to specific amino acid residues. The chromophores are tetrapyrrole moieties with a high degree of conjugation that gives them their characteristic hues (Ghosh et al, 2015). The fluorescence emission spectrum of the Lyngbya extract and the purified C-PE had an emission maximum at 575 nm due to the presence of the chromophore phycoerythrobilin (Mishra et al, 2011).…”

“…Since, the purified products seem to be able to manage hyperglycemia, it might be prudent to consider them as food additives rather than the extracts from Lyngbya, Microcoleus, or Synechocystis sp. The chief reason is the presence of uncharacterized compounds, namely toxins, in these extracts which might have undesired side effects (Ghosh et al, 2015). However, another key feature of such pigments lie not in the extent of inhibition of the enzymes but on their natural origins, which are not expected to have any severe or long term side effects.…”

“…Cyanobacteria are primitive organisms responsible for photosynthesis and a storehouse of various beneficial biomolecules like polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), phycobiliproteins (PBPs), carotenoids, sterols, enzymes, and vitamins (Ghosh et al, 2015). Among these compounds, natural pigments like PBPs, and carotenoids have attracted attention due to their fluorescent properties and various uses (Stryer and Glazer, 1985;Kronick, 1986;Sekar and Chandramohan, 2007;Jaswir et al, 2011;Ghosh et al, 2015;Paliwal et al, 2015a;Sudhakar et al, 2015).…”

“…Among these compounds, natural pigments like PBPs, and carotenoids have attracted attention due to their fluorescent properties and various uses (Stryer and Glazer, 1985;Kronick, 1986;Sekar and Chandramohan, 2007;Jaswir et al, 2011;Ghosh et al, 2015;Paliwal et al, 2015a;Sudhakar et al, 2015). Moreover, cyanobacteria such as Spirulina sp.…”

“…Considering their nutritional properties, they can be potential candidates for natural alternatives for hyperglycemia. Though not all cyanobacteria are benign; some of them contain potent toxins (Ghosh et al, 2015). To the best of our knowledge, there are almost no reports that utilize cyanobacterial pigments as natural remedies for hyperglycemic conditions.…”