Biological Effects ofSpirulina(Arthrospira) Biopolymers and Biomass in the Development of Nanostructured Scaffolds

Abstract

Spirulina is produced from pure cultures of the photosynthetic prokaryotic cyanobacteria Arthrospira. For many years research centers throughout the world have studied its application in various scientific fields, especially in foods and medicine. The biomass produced from Spirulina cultivation contains a variety of biocompounds, including biopeptides, biopolymers, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, minerals, oligoelements, and sterols. Some of these compounds are bioactive and have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, and antifungal properties. These compounds can be used in tissue engineering, the interdisciplinary field that combines techniques from cell science, engineering, and materials science and which has grown in importance over the past few decades. Spirulina biomass can be used to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), biopolymers that can substitute synthetic polymers in the construction of engineered extracellular matrices (scaffolds) for use in tissue cultures or bioactive molecule construction. This review describes the development of nanostructured scaffolds based on biopolymers extracted from microalgae and biomass from Spirulina production. These scaffolds have the potential to encourage cell growth while reducing the risk of organ or tissue rejection.

Evaluation of different modes of operation for the production ofSpirulinasp.

“…The microbial metabolism degrades and removes pollutants, which generates fewer environmentally harmful products. In this scenario, microalgae have been studied for wastewater treatment, toxic metal bioremediation, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) biofixation and biofuel, and for biopolymer and nanofiber production …”

“…In this scenario, microalgae have been studied for wastewater treatment, toxic metal bioremediation, 1,2 carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) biofixation 3 and biofuel, 4 and for biopolymer and nanofiber production. 5,6 Various cultivation conditions have been studied to increase the microalgal biomass productivity and reduce production costs. Semi-continuous cultivations have several advantages compared with batch and continuous processes.…”

Production of polymeric nanofibers with different conditions of the electrospinning process

“…Electrospinning is carried out by applying a high voltage to a polymer solution in a process that results in nanofiber formation and lengthening due to electrostatic repulsion.The polymer solution is fed at a constant flow rate through a capillary charged with a high voltage (10 kV to 30 kV).When the electric field attains enough energy to overcome surface tension at the tip of the capillary, a "Taylor Cone" forms and the nanofibers are deposited in a stationary or rotating collector where the solvent evaporates and the nanofibers collect [7].…”

Spirulina-PCL Nanofiber Wound Dressing to Improve Cutaneous Wound Healing by Enhancing Antioxidative Mechanism

“…Nanofiber has not only these structures and functions, but also superior mechanical strength to its basic materials and it is easily modified by blending or adsorption ( Figure 1) [17]. Recently, some groups reported Spirulina loaded nanofibers and their applications to skin injuries [18,19], but there is still insufficient information about in vivo efficacy and antioxidant mechanism of the dressing to cutaneous wound. In this study, we evaluated Spirulina aqueous extract as an antioxidant during wound regeneration.…”