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Main » 2013 » September » 22 » Algae As A Source Of Pharmaceuticals & Nutraceuticals by Narasimhan Santhanam
2:03 PM Algae As A Source Of Pharmaceuticals & Nutraceuticals by Narasimhan Santhanam |
Algae As A Source Of Pharmaceuticals & Nutraceuticals by Narasimhan
Santhanam
Here is an article which I retrieved from the Oilgae newsletter
archives. This article focuses on the importance of algae as a source of
high-value end products.
Algae are a rich and varied source of
pharmacologically active natural products and nutraceuticals. While
nutraceutical and pharmaceutical content in the baseline algae strain is very
small, current market values for these products are extremely high. The major
products currently being commercialized or under consideration for commercial
extraction include carotenoids, phycobilins, fatty acids, polysaccharides,
vitamins, sterols, and biologically active molecules for use in human and animal
health. The upcoming sections will bring into focus the use of algae as a
potential source of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical ingredients.
Algae
as a Source of Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical industry is growing at a
CAGR of around 8% while the global pharmaceutical market is forecasted to reach
US$ 1043.4 billion in 2012.
Use of algae, especially the cyanobacteria
(blue-green algae), for antibiotics and pharmacologically active compounds has
received ever increasing interest. There are a range of pharmaceutical products
derived from algae. Some of them include:
* - Antimicrobials, Antivirals
& Antifungals
* -Neuroprotective Products
* -Therapeutic
proteins
* -Drugs
1. Antimicrobials, Antivirals &
Antifungals
Both microalgae and macroalgae exhibit antimicrobial activity
which finds use in various pharmaceutical industries.
Role of
Microalgae
o * Microalgae, such as Ochromonas sp., Prymnesiumand a number
of blue green algae produce toxins that may have potential pharmaceutical
applications (Katircioglu et al, 2006)
o * Various strains of
cyanobacteria are known to produce intracellular and extracellular metabolites
with diverse biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal and
antiviral activity (Naoman et al,2004)
o * The biological activities of
the algae may be attributed to the presence of volatile compounds, some phenols,
free fatty acids and their oxidized derivatives (Zornitsa et al,
2009)
Role of macroalgae
+ * There are numerous reports of
macroalgae derived compounds that have a broad range of biological activities,
such as antibiotic, antiviral, anti- neoplastic, antifouling, anti-inflammatory,
cytotoxic and antimitotic (Naqvi et al., 1980)
+ * In the past few
decades, macroalgae have been widely recognised as producers of a broad range of
bioactive metabolites (Caccamese et al., 1981)
+ * Such antimicrobial
properties enable macroalgae to be used as natural preservatives in the cosmetic
industry.
+ * The highest percentage of antimicrobial activity was found
in Phaeophyceae (84%), followed by Rhodophyceae (67%) and Chlorophyceae (44%).
(Noemi et al, 2007)
+ * Red and brown macroalgae extracts show
significant potential as anti-pathogenic agents for use in fish aquaculture.
(Wefky et al, 2008)
bit.ly/9ePcFb
2. Neuroprotective
Products
Both microalgae and macroalgae are neuroprotective agents and
promote nerve cell survival.
Role of microalgae
Among the various
microalgal species, Spirulina is most commonly referred as a neuroprotective
agent
+ * Spirulina platensis may be useful in the development of novel
treatments for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer�s or Parkinson
diseases.
+ * Spirulina maxima is found to partially prevent MPTP
(1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine) neurotoxicity and oxidative
stress, suggesting it could be a possible alternative in experimental
therapy.
Role of macroalgae
+ * Several macroalgae are found to
possess therapeutic potential for combating neurodegenerative diseases
associated with neuroinflammation.
+ * A marine macroalgae, Ulva
conglobata, a marine algae, has neuroprotective effects in murine hippocampal
and microglial cells
bit.ly/9Iu2P9
3. Human Therapeutic
Proteins
Pharmaceutical companies could substantially reduce the expense
of costly treatments for cancer and other diseases produced from mammalian or
bacterial cells by growing human therapeutic proteins in algae. Microalgae
usually find extensive use as therapeutic and diagnostic proteins.
Role
of microalgae
+ * Expression of recombinant proteins in green algal
chloroplast holds substantial promise as a platform for the production of human
therapeutic proteins
+ *The percentage of human proteins produced in
their algal cultures is comparable to the fraction produced by mammalian cell
cultures and much better than that produced by bacterial systems
+ *A
study confirmed that diverse human therapeutic proteins could be produced in
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a green alga
+ * Algae can be used to
produce
+ - VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) for treating
emphysema
+ - HMGB1 (High Moblility Group Protein B1) which activates
immune cells
+ - Domain 14 of human fibronectin
+ Domain 10 of
human fibronectin used to increase the accumulation of other proteins
+ -
Human proinsulin could be produced by algae, but only at lower levels
+
*The costs of using algae at large scale to commercially produce human proteins
should be much lower than for mammalian cell culture, which require expensive
fermentation facilities
bit.ly/cdvA9B
4. Drugs
Algal
chemistry has interested many researchers in order to develop new drugs, as
algae include compounds with functional groups which are characteristic from
this particular source.
Role of microalgae
+ * Researchers have
been able to produce an exciting class of anti-cancer drugs originally isolated
from blue-green algae
+ * A compound named cryptophycin 1 has been
isolated from blue-green algae which hold significant promise as an anti-cancer
drug
+ * Microalgae produce incredibly potent alkaloidal neurotoxins such
as saxitoxin and polyketide neurotoxins such as the brevetoxins for use as
anticancer drugs.
Role of macroalgae
+ * The alkaloids found in
marine macroalgae present special interest because of their pharmacological
activities.
+ *These alkaloids in macroalgae are largely focused on
finding drugs for cancer treatment.
bit.ly/cijvFA
Companies
Deriving Pharmaceutical Products from Algae
# * Rincon Pharmaceuticals �
/
# * Rallis � /default.asp
# * Jubilant Organosys � /
# *
Piramal Healthcare � /
# * AstraZeneca � /
# * Idec
Pharmaceuticals �
# * National Facility for Marine Cyanobacteria �
/
# * Labprocure India Pvt Ltd �
/organisation/labprocure-ind-pvt-ltd.html
Algae as a Source of
Nutraceuticals
The growing use of algae biomass for nutraceutical
purposes is expected to provide an attractive revenue stream for algae
producers. While nutraceutical content in the baseline algae strain is very
small, current market values for these products are extremely
high.
Physiologically-active nutraceuticals from algae include food
supplements, dietary supplements, value-added processed foods as well as
non-food supplements such as tablets, soft gels, capsules etc cheap authentic nfl
jerseys.
Some of the noteworthy products that can be derived from
algae:
� Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)
�
Carotenoids
# - Astaxanthin
# - β-Carotene
1. Omega 3
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)
# - As algae could be relatively
easily cultivated at different stress conditions, they offer the prospect of a
good source of PUFA for the nutraceutical market
# - Recently, attention
has focused on n-3 PUFAs from algae, especially eicopentaenoic acid (EPA) and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), due to their association with the prevention and
treatment of several diseases (atherosclerosis, thrombosis, arthritis, cancers,
etc.)
# - Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega 3 and omega
6 series are straight chain carboxylic acids of 20 or more carbon atoms that
contain 3 or more double bonds
# -The conventional source of EPA and DHA
is marine fish oil, but higher amount of EPA and some DHA can be produced by the
use of algae
Role of microalgae
# * Microalgae have been an
attractive source of PUFA (Benemann et al. 1987) due to their inherently high
PUFA content
# * Cyanobacterium Spirulina is rich in γ-linolenic acid
(GLA) (and poor in the α-isomer) and thus is a good source for the purification
of this PUFA (Mahajan and Kamat, 1995)
# * Chlorella minutissima is a
eukaryotic species with a fast growth rate and high PUFA content (Seto et al.
1984) and could be another important source of a PUFA-rich nutraceutical
supplement
# * The red algae, Porphyridium contain more than 30% of total
fatty acids as AA (Arachidonic Acid) and equally high concentrations of
EPA
Role of macroalgae
# * Fatty acids (FA) from marine macroalgae
are generally richer in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a higher degree
of total unsaturation.
# * Both Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta species of
macroalgae were rich in arachadonic acid (AA) and eicosopentaenoic acid (EPA)
and Ulvales in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content.
/
# * Hydrolina
Biotech Private Ltd � /
# * EID Parry neutraceuticals �
bit.ly/6ZGzMj
# * Acadian Seaplants Limited � bit.ly/82V3R4
#
*Mingfu Fujian Agar Co Ltd � bit.ly/8oTjle
# * Fuyang Green Foods Co post
by haiyan151., Ltd � bit.ly/4WyaOS
# * Desert lake technologies �
bit.ly/5sKRXW
# * Fucoidan � bit.ly/6xmEB4
# * Shandong
Firstspirulina Biotech Co., Ltd � bit.ly/7AKOfe
# * Globe Seaweed
International � bit.ly/6Kfvjz
# * Wefirst Biotechnology Co.,Ltd �
bit.ly/4ZBWtZ
# * Dharani Farms �
bit.ly/58GrIn
Conclusion
The markets for both pharmaceuticals and
nutraceuticals are growing quickly worldwide, and it is this global scope that
particularly attracts marketers. A growing proportion of today�s promising
pharmaceutical and nutraceutical research focuses on the production of promising
compounds from algae. Thus, the untapped potential of algae in the field of
pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals has to be still explored to grow and
capitalize on tremendous global marketing opportunities
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