Microalgae of different phyla display antioxidant, metal chelating and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities

Changes in phytochemical content and pharmacological activities of three Chlorella strains grown in different nitrogen conditions

“…Besides phenolics, other compounds such as fatty acids and carotenoids may also contribute to the antioxidant activity displayed by microalgae extracts (Custódio et al 2012(Custódio et al , 2014aGoiris et al 2012Goiris et al , 2015. This is further supported by differences in antioxidant activity when similar microalgae biomass was extracted with solvents with varying polarities (Custódio et al 2012;Aremu et al 2014). A similar high degree of variation in antioxidant activity with respect to the extracting solvent was also evident in the current study with DCM extracts being more active than the corresponding MeOH extracts.…”

“…However, results linking the possible direct correlation between the phenolic constituents and the antioxidant capacity of microalgae are conflicting and this has been attributed to several factors such as the quality rather than the quantity of the phenolic compounds (Gülçin 2012). Besides phenolics, other compounds such as fatty acids and carotenoids may also contribute to the antioxidant activity displayed by microalgae extracts (Custódio et al 2012(Custódio et al , 2014aGoiris et al 2012Goiris et al , 2015. This is further supported by differences in antioxidant activity when similar microalgae biomass was extracted with solvents with varying polarities (Custódio et al 2012;Aremu et al 2014).…”

“…The search for treatment of Alzheimer's disease by the use of AChE inhibitors from plant sources is gaining popularity due to various drawbacks associated with currently available treatments (Ndhlala et al 2012). When compared to the research reported for higher plants and macroalgae, investigations on the potential of microalgae as a source of AChE inhibitors is largely neglected with only a few studies (Custódio et al 2012(Custódio et al , 2014aAremu et al 2014). Nevertheless, these few examples have strongly suggested the potential to discovery novel AChE inhibitors on the basis of noteworthy activities exhibited by the extracts from various microalgae species.…”

“…Despite the enormous effort geared toward biofuel research, the therapeutic potential of microalgae has also been recognized. In the last few decades, microalgae have become the focus for extensive screening of novel compounds with interesting biological activities (Borowitzka 1995;Ghasemi et al 2007;Amaro et al 2011;Custódio et al 2012;Klein et al 2012;Shanab et al 2012). In addition to the pharmacologically active algal secondary metabolites such as phenolics, terpenes, and carotenoids that are associated with their biological activities, this rich pool of valuable phytochemicals (especially phenolics) are highly sought after in the food industry.…”

Inhibition of Enzymatic and Oxidative Process by Phenolic Extracts from Spirulina sp. and Nannochloropsis sp.

“…microalgae acts as a source of fatty acids, proteins or as an ingredient in food and feed preparations. These species are considered to be more economically advantageous due to their higher production than other microalgae under adverse conditions ( 8 ). This suggests that this sort of microalgae may possess compounds that are capable of protecting against physical, chemical and biological hazards.…”