Crude proteins and pigments were extracted from different microalgae strains, both marine and freshwater. The effectiveness of enzymatic pre-treatment prior to protein extraction was evaluated and compared to conventional techniques, including ultrasonication and high-pressure water extraction. Enzymatic pre-treatment was chosen as it could be carried out at mild shear conditions and does not subject the proteins to high temperatures, as with the ultrasonication approach. Using enzymatic pre-treatment, the extracted proteins yields of all tested microalgae strains were approximately 0.7 mg per mg of dry cell weight. These values were comparable to those achieved using a commercial lytic kit. Ultrasonication was not very effective for proteins extraction from Chlorella sp., and the extracted proteins yields did not exceed 0.4 mg per mg of dry cell weight. For other strains, similar yields were achieved by both treatment methods. The time-course effect of enzymatic incubation on the proteins extraction efficiency was more evident using laccase compared to lysozyme, which suggested that the former enzyme has a slower rate of cell disruption. The crude extracted proteins were fractionated using an ion exchange resin and were analyzed by the electrophoresis technique. They were further tested for their antioxidant activity, the highest of which was about 60% from Nannochloropsis sp. The total phenolic contents in the selected strains were also determined, with Chlorella sp. showing the highest content reaching 17 mg/g. Lysozyme was also found to enhance the extraction of pigments, with Chlorella sp. showing the highest pigments contents of 16.02, 4.59 and 5.22 mg/g of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total carotenoids, respectively.

BackgroundThere is an increasing need to find natural bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical applications, because they have less harmful side effects compared to their chemical alternatives. Microalgae (MA) have been identified as a promising source for these bioactive compounds, and this work aimed to evaluate the anti-proliferative effects of semi-purified protein extracted from MA against several tumor cell lines.MethodsTested samples comprised MA cell extracts treated with cellulase and lysozyme, prior to extraction. The effect of dialysis, required to remove unnecessary small molecules, was also tested. The anti-cancer efficacies of the dialyzed and undialyzed extracts were determined by measuring cell viability after treating four human cancer cell lines, specifically A549 (human lung carcinoma), MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma), MDA MB-435 (human melanoma), and LNCap (human prostate cancer cells derived from a metastatic site in the lymph node). This was compared to the effects of the agents on the human BPH-1 cell line (benign human prostate epithelial cells). The t-test was used to statistically analyze the results and determine the significance.ResultsAgainst LNCap and A549 cells, the performance of cellulase-treated extracts was better (with p-values < 0.05, as compared to the control) than that of lysozyme-treated preparations (with p-values mainly > 0.05, as compared to the control); however, they had similar effects against the other two tumor cell lines (with p-values mainly < 0.05, as compared to the control). Moreover, based on their effect on BPH-1 cells, extracts from lysozyme-treated MA cells were determined to be safer against the benign prostate hyperplasia cells, BPH-1 (with p-values mainly > 0.05, as compared to the control). After dialysis, the performance of MA extracts from lysozyme-treated cells was enhanced significantly (with p-values dropping to < 0.05, as compared to the control).ConclusionsThe results of this work provide important information and could provide the foundation for further research to incorporate MA constituents into pharmaceutical anti-cancer therapeutic formulations.

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