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Citi V, Torre S, Flori L, Usai L, Aktay N, Dunford NT, Lutzu GA, Nieri P. Nutraceutical Features of the Phycobiliprotein C-Phycocyanin: Evidence from Arthrospira platensis ( Spirulina). Nutrients 2024; 16:1752. [PMID: 38892686 PMCID: PMC11174898 DOI: 10.3390/nu16111752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Arthrospira platensis, commonly known as Spirulina, is a photosynthetic filamentous cyanobacterium (blue-green microalga) that has been utilized as a food source since ancient times. More recently, it has gained significant popularity as a dietary supplement due to its rich content of micro- and macro-nutrients. Of particular interest is a water soluble phycobiliprotein derived from Spirulina known as phycocyanin C (C-PC), which stands out as the most abundant protein in this cyanobacterium. C-PC is a fluorescent protein, with its chromophore represented by the tetrapyrrole molecule phycocyanobilin B (PCB-B). While C-PC is commonly employed in food for its coloring properties, it also serves as the molecular basis for numerous nutraceutical features associated with Spirulina. Indeed, the comprehensive C-PC, and to some extent, the isolated PCB-B, has been linked to various health-promoting effects. These benefits encompass conditions triggered by oxidative stress, inflammation, and other pathological conditions. The present review focuses on the bio-pharmacological properties of these molecules, positioning them as promising agents for potential new applications in the expanding nutraceutical market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Citi
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno Pisano 6, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy; (S.T.); (L.F.)
| | - Serenella Torre
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno Pisano 6, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy; (S.T.); (L.F.)
| | - Lorenzo Flori
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno Pisano 6, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy; (S.T.); (L.F.)
| | - Luca Usai
- Teregroup Srl, Via David Livingstone 37, 41122 Modena, MO, Italy; (L.U.); (G.A.L.)
| | - Nazlim Aktay
- Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center, Oklahoma State University, 103 FAPC, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA; (N.A.); (N.T.D.)
| | - Nurhan Turgut Dunford
- Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center, Oklahoma State University, 103 FAPC, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA; (N.A.); (N.T.D.)
| | | | - Paola Nieri
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno Pisano 6, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy; (S.T.); (L.F.)
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Lin YC, Shih CP, Lin YY, Lin HC, Kuo CY, Chen HK, Chen HC, Wang CH. C-Phycocyanin Attenuates Noise-Induced Cochlear Synaptopathy via the Inhibition of Oxidative Stress and Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 in the Cochlea. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5154. [PMID: 38791192 PMCID: PMC11120661 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The synapses between inner hair cells (IHCs) and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) are the most vulnerable structures in the noise-exposed cochlea. Cochlear synaptopathy results from the disruption of these synapses following noise exposure and is considered the main cause of poor speech understanding in noisy environments, even when audiogram results are normal. Cochlear synaptopathy leads to the degeneration of SGNs if damaged IHC-SGN synapses are not promptly recovered. Oxidative stress plays a central role in the pathogenesis of cochlear synaptopathy. C-Phycocyanin (C-PC) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and is widely utilized in the food and drug industry. However, the effect of the C-PC on noise-induced cochlear damage is unknown. We first investigated the therapeutic effect of C-PC on noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy. In vitro experiments revealed that C-PC reduced the H2O2-induced generation of reactive oxygen species in HEI-OC1 auditory cells. H2O2-induced cytotoxicity in HEI-OC1 cells was reduced with C-PC treatment. After white noise exposure for 3 h at a sound pressure of 118 dB, the guinea pigs intratympanically administered 5 μg/mL C-PC exhibited greater wave I amplitudes in the auditory brainstem response, more IHC synaptic ribbons and more IHC-SGN synapses according to microscopic analysis than the saline-treated guinea pigs. Furthermore, the group treated with C-PC had less intense 4-hydroxynonenal and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 staining in the cochlea compared with the saline group. Our results suggest that C-PC improves cochlear synaptopathy by inhibiting noise-induced oxidative stress and the inflammatory response in the cochlea.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Oxidative Stress/drug effects
- Guinea Pigs
- Phycocyanin/pharmacology
- Phycocyanin/therapeutic use
- Cochlea/metabolism
- Cochlea/drug effects
- Cochlea/pathology
- Synapses/drug effects
- Synapses/metabolism
- Noise/adverse effects
- Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1/metabolism
- Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced/drug therapy
- Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced/metabolism
- Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced/pathology
- Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism
- Male
- Spiral Ganglion/drug effects
- Spiral Ganglion/metabolism
- Spiral Ganglion/pathology
- Hydrogen Peroxide/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner/drug effects
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner/metabolism
- Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner/pathology
- Antioxidants/pharmacology
- Cell Line
- Hearing Loss, Hidden
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Chun Lin
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (Y.-C.L.); (Y.-Y.L.); (H.-C.L.); (C.-Y.K.); (H.-K.C.); (H.-C.C.); (C.-H.W.)
| | - Cheng-Ping Shih
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (Y.-C.L.); (Y.-Y.L.); (H.-C.L.); (C.-Y.K.); (H.-K.C.); (H.-C.C.); (C.-H.W.)
| | - Yuan-Yung Lin
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (Y.-C.L.); (Y.-Y.L.); (H.-C.L.); (C.-Y.K.); (H.-K.C.); (H.-C.C.); (C.-H.W.)
| | - Hung-Che Lin
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (Y.-C.L.); (Y.-Y.L.); (H.-C.L.); (C.-Y.K.); (H.-K.C.); (H.-C.C.); (C.-H.W.)
| | - Chao-Yin Kuo
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (Y.-C.L.); (Y.-Y.L.); (H.-C.L.); (C.-Y.K.); (H.-K.C.); (H.-C.C.); (C.-H.W.)
| | - Hang-Kang Chen
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (Y.-C.L.); (Y.-Y.L.); (H.-C.L.); (C.-Y.K.); (H.-K.C.); (H.-C.C.); (C.-H.W.)
| | - Hsin-Chien Chen
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (Y.-C.L.); (Y.-Y.L.); (H.-C.L.); (C.-Y.K.); (H.-K.C.); (H.-C.C.); (C.-H.W.)
| | - Chih-Hung Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan; (Y.-C.L.); (Y.-Y.L.); (H.-C.L.); (C.-Y.K.); (H.-K.C.); (H.-C.C.); (C.-H.W.)
- Division of Otolaryngology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Taoyuan Branch, Taoyuan 33052, Taiwan
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Su CC, Zhang ZR, Liu JX, Meng JG, Ma XQ, Mo ZF, Ren JB, Liang ZX, Yang Z, Li CS, Chen LA. Vaporization of perfluorocarbon attenuates sea-water-drowning-induced acute lung injury by deactivating the NLRP3 inflammasomes in canines. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2024; 249:10104. [PMID: 38708425 PMCID: PMC11066214 DOI: 10.3389/ebm.2024.10104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Seawater-drowning-induced acute lung injury (SD-ALI) is a life-threatening disorder characterized by increased alveolar-capillary permeability, an excessive inflammatory response, and refractory hypoxemia. Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are biocompatible compounds that are chemically and biologically inert and lack toxicity as oxygen carriers, which could reduce lung injury in vitro and in vivo. The aim of our study was to explore whether the vaporization of PFCs could reduce the severity of SD-ALI in canines and investigate the underlying mechanisms. Eighteen beagle dogs were randomly divided into three groups: the seawater drowning (SW), perfluorocarbon (PFC), and control groups. The dogs in the SW group were intratracheally administered seawater to establish the animal model. The dogs in the PFC group were treated with vaporized PFCs. Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) was performed at 3 h. The blood gas, volume air index (VAI), pathological changes, and wet-to-dry (W/D) lung tissue ratios were assessed. The expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF1), and NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes was determined by means of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunological histological chemistry. The SW group showed higher lung injury scores and W/D ratios, and lower VAI compared to the control group, and treatment with PFCs could reverse the change of lung injury score, W/D ratio and VAI. PFCs deactivated NLRP3 inflammasomes and reduced the release of caspase-1, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-18 (IL-18) by enhancing the expression of HO-1 and NRF1. Our results suggest that the vaporization of PFCs could attenuate SD-ALI by deactivating NLRP3 inflammasomes via the HO-1/NRF1 pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Cheng Su
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Department of Critical Care and Respiration, Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhao-Rui Zhang
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jin-Xia Liu
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ji-Guang Meng
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xiu-Qing Ma
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhen-Fei Mo
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jia-Bo Ren
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhi-Xin Liang
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhen Yang
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Chun-Sun Li
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Liang-An Chen
- Department of Respiration, The Eight Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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Fernandes R, Campos J, Serra M, Fidalgo J, Almeida H, Casas A, Toubarro D, Barros AIRNA. Exploring the Benefits of Phycocyanin: From Spirulina Cultivation to Its Widespread Applications. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:ph16040592. [PMID: 37111349 PMCID: PMC10144176 DOI: 10.3390/ph16040592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Large-scale production of microalgae and their bioactive compounds has steadily increased in response to global demand for natural compounds. Spirulina, in particular, has been used due to its high nutritional value, especially its high protein content. Promising biological functions have been associated with Spirulina extracts, mainly related to its high value added blue pigment, phycocyanin. Phycocyanin is used in several industries such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, which increases its market value. Due to the worldwide interest and the need to replace synthetic compounds with natural ones, efforts have been made to optimize large-scale production processes and maintain phycocyanin stability, which is a highly unstable protein. The aim of this review is to update the scientific knowledge on phycocyanin applications and to describe the reported production, extraction, and purification methods, including the main physical and chemical parameters that may affect the purity, recovery, and stability of phycocyanin. By implementing different techniques such as complete cell disruption, extraction at temperatures below 45 °C and a pH of 5.5-6.0, purification through ammonium sulfate, and filtration and chromatography, both the purity and stability of phycocyanin have been significantly improved. Moreover, the use of saccharides, crosslinkers, or natural polymers as preservatives has contributed to the increased market value of phycocyanin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Fernandes
- Mesosystem, Rua da Igreja Velha 295, 4410-160 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Joana Campos
- Mesosystem, Rua da Igreja Velha 295, 4410-160 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Mónica Serra
- Mesosystem, Rua da Igreja Velha 295, 4410-160 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Javier Fidalgo
- Mesosystem, Rua da Igreja Velha 295, 4410-160 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Hugo Almeida
- Mesosystem, Rua da Igreja Velha 295, 4410-160 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
- UCIBIO (Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences), REQUIMTE (Rede de Química e Tecnologia), MEDTECH (Medicines and Healthcare Products), Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Drug Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Casas
- Mesosystem, Rua da Igreja Velha 295, 4410-160 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Duarte Toubarro
- CBA and Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Azores, Rua Mãe de Deus No 13, 9500-321 Ponta Delgada, Portugal
| | - Ana I R N A Barros
- Mesosystem, Rua da Igreja Velha 295, 4410-160 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production (Inov4Agro), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
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Singh KB, Kaushalendra, Rajan JP. Therapeutical and Nutraceutical Roles of Cyanobacterial Tetrapyrrole Chromophore: Recent Advances and Future Implications. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:932459. [PMID: 35928159 PMCID: PMC9344041 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.932459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria have attracted the attention of researchers because of their promising role as primary and secondary metabolites in functional food and drug design. Due to an ever-increasing awareness of health and the use of natural products to avoid the onset of many chronic and lifestyle metabolic diseases, the global demand for the use of natural drugs and food additives has increased in the last few decades. There are several reports about the highly valuable cyanobacterial products such as carotenoids, vitamins, minerals, polysaccharides, and phycobiliproteins showing antioxidant, anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and antimicrobial properties. Recently, it has been shown that allophycocyanin increases longevity and reduces the paralysis effect at least in Caenorhabditis elegans. Additionally, other pigments such as phycoerythrin and phycocyanin show antioxidative properties. Because of their high solubility in water and zero side effects, some of the cyanobacterial tetrapyrrole derivatives, i.e., pigments, facilitate an innovative and alternative way for the beverage and food industries in place of synthetic coloring agents at the commercial level. Thus, not only are the tetrapyrrole derivatives essential constituents for the synthesis of most of the basic physiological biomolecules, such as hemoglobin, chlorophyll, and cobalamin, but also have the potential to be used for the synthesis of synthetic compounds used in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. In the present review, we focused on the different aspects of tetrapyrrole rings in the drug design and food industries and addressed its remaining limitations to be used as natural nutrient supplements and therapeutic agents.
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