Unlocking the Health Potential of Microalgae as Sustainable Sources of Bioactive Compounds

Abstract

Microalgae are known to produce a plethora of compounds derived from the primary and secondary metabolism. Different studies have shown that these compounds may have allelopathic, antimicrobial, and antipredator activities. In addition, in vitro and in vivo screenings have shown that several compounds have interesting bioactivities (such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial) for the possible prevention and treatment of human pathologies. Additionally, the enzymatic pathways responsible for the synthesis of these compounds, and the targets and mechanisms of their action have also been investigated for a few species. However, further research is necessary for their full exploitation and possible pharmaceutical and other industrial applications. Here, we review the current knowledge on the chemical characteristics, biological activities, mechanism of action, and the enzymes involved in the synthesis of microalgal metabolites with potential benefits for human health.

Chlamydomonas Responses to Salinity Stress and Possible Biotechnological Exploitation

“…Microalgae, especially in recent years, have received great attention as promising source of interesting compounds with possible biotechnological applications [94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106]. However, different methodologies have been studied and applied for microalgae in order to implement the production of the compounds of interest, such as modifying culturing parameters, or by using adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE), mutagenesis, and genetic engineering techniques (Figure 2; [107][108][109]).…”

Potential Approaches Versus Approved or Developing Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Therapy

“…Marine organisms are able to produce metabolites with bioactivities useful for the treatment or prevention of human pathologies (127)(128)(129)(130). There are currently on the market fourteen compounds derived from marine species used for various types of cancer (such as multiple myeloma, leukemia, lymphoma, breast, ovarian, lung and urothelial cancer), hypertriglyceridemia, pain and infections (https://www.…”

“…Other promising activities derive from marine microalgae, more manageable to grow in small or large photobioreactors compared to sponges and representing an eco-friendly and ecosustainable source of new compounds from marine environments still poorly explored (130,133,(143)(144)(145). Carbenolide was isolated from the dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp.…”

From Past to Present: Biotechnology in Mexico Using Algae and Fungi

“…In Jalisco alone, there are over thirty species of algae with potential applications in cosmetics, medicine, and food [48]. Algae can be exploited for their bioactive compounds, which may have allelopathic, anti-predator (such as ones produced by diatoms as defenses against freshwater crustaceans who graze on them), and antimicrobial activities [49,50].…”