Microalgae and Cyanobacteria as a Potential Source of Anticancer Compounds
Gokare A. Ravishankar, Ranga Rao Ambati in Handbook of Algal Technologies and Phytochemicals, 2019
Phycocyanin is one type of the accessory pigments, phycobiliproteins, found in cyanobacteria, which are important in capturing light and transferring energy in photosynthesis. There are three types of phycocyanin, namely C-phycocyanin, R-phycocyanin and allophycocyanin. C-phycocyanin has been reported to have various pharmacological activities, including anticancer activity, due to its β-subunit (Liu et al. 2016; Hao et al. 2018). In general, the anticancer activity of C-phycocyanin is due to its inhibition of tumor cell cycles, induction of tumor cell apoptosis and autophagy (Jiang et al. 2017). C-phycocyanin has no one specific target but acts in the membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus with diverse mechanisms of action (Fernandes e Silva et al. 2018). The cell targets of C-phycocyanin include MDR1 gene, cytoskeletal proteins and COX-2 enzymes, which make it capable of killing cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy.
Optical Imaging Probes
Martin G. Pomper, Juri G. Gelovani, Benjamin Tsui, Kathleen Gabrielson, Richard Wahl, S. Sam Gambhir, Jeff Bulte, Raymond Gibson, William C. Eckelman in Molecular Imaging in Oncology, 2008
Recent mutagenesis experiments resulted in relatively stable true far-red fluorescent proteins (mPlum 590/649 and AQ143 590/655 from Actinia equina) that can be expressed in live cells (30,31). These proteins have more favorable light scattering/absorption profiles for in vivo imaging. Recently engineered monomeric Keima red fluorescent protein (32) with a large Stokes shift is useful in designing fusion reporters based on cross-correlation fluorescence spectroscopy, which is extremely sensitive to protein-protein interactions. However, the excitation band of 450 nm is less useful for in vivo applications. The disadvantage of these far-red proteins, including engineered monomeric fluorescent proteins is low quantum yield (brightness), which is 10% or even lower than that of EGFP. One member of phycocyanin protein family (allophycocyanin, a 100-kDa protein with six bilin fluorochromes per protein molecule) has maximum emission of 660 nm and extremely high photostability. However, in vivo use of phycocyanins is limited by their cost, potential high immunogenicity, and high molecular mass. As in the case of any other protein-based exogenous probe, the investigators should be aware of immune response to fluorescent proteins that can significantly alter the progression, therapeutic response, and regrowth of experimental tumors expressing fluorescent proteins (33).
Diversity and Utilization of Marine Cyanobacteria
Gokare A. Ravishankar, Ranga Rao Ambati in Handbook of Algal Technologies and Phytochemicals, 2019
Several cyanobacteria are known to be rich sources of vitamins, and many are even known to excrete them into the milieu (Borowitzka, 1988). The carotenoids and phycobiliproteins of cyanobacteria have high commercial value. They are used as natural food colorants (Emodi, 1978), as food additives to enhance the color of the flesh of Salmonid fish (Schiedt et al., 1985) and to improve the health and fertility of cattle (Jackson, 1981). Many marine cyanobacteria, especially the feed grade Phormidium valderianum, have been found to be excellent sources of phycocyanin, a blue natural colorant useful as a phycofluor in diagnostics (Sekar and Subramanian, 1998) (Table 14.4).
C-Phycocyanin prevents acute myocardial infarction-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and cardiac damage
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2022
Vanessa Blas-Valdivia, Daniela Nikita Moran-Dorantes, Placido Rojas-Franco, Margarita Franco-Colin, Neda Mirhosseini, Reza Davarnejad, Ahmad Halajisani, Omid Tavakoli, Edgar Cano-Europa
Therefore, it is necessary to develop new treatments to allow more time for revascularization procedures. The C-phycocyanin as a nutraceutical has a potential coadjutant role in the AMI treatment. C-Phycocyanin is a phycobiliprotein in cyanobacteria, which can assist the photosynthesis process. It has a deep and intense blue colour due to forming alpha (α) and beta (β) protein subunits with isomeric linear tetrapyrrole prosthetic groups (phycocyanobilin chromophore). C-Phycocyanin has been used as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory treatment for its structure and pharmacological security, avoiding oxidative stress and cell damage (Romay et al. 2003). It has been reported as neuroprotective (Rimbau et al. 1999; Romay et al. 2003), nephroprotective (Rodríguez-Sánchez et al. 2012; Memije-Lazaro et al. 2018; Rojas-Franco et al. 2018, 2021), hepatoprotective (Sathyasaikumar et al. 2007; Ou et al. 2010), as well in fact the C-phycocyanin prevents oxidative stress and cell damage in vitro as the hypoxia model employing myoblast cell line H9c2 (Gao et al. 2019) or doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in adult ventricular cardiomyocyte culture (Khan, Varadharaj, Ganesan, et al. 2006). Moreover, an in vivo model of ischaemia/reperfusion with isolated rat hearts has also been studied (Khan, Varadharaj, Shobha, et al. 2006). One of the recent model advantages is the C-phycocyanin amount measurement while the major disadvantage is administration manner and the C-phycocyanin metabolism in the whole of organism physiological responses.
Potential Protective Effect of Spirulina Platensis on Sodium Arsenite Induced Cardiotoxicity in Male Rats
Published in Tissue Barriers, 2022
Amal Albtoosh, Fardous Karawya, Wesam Al-Naymat, Aiman Al-Qaitat
Plants and herbs have been used throughout the world as treatment agents. The Spirulina is a filamentous blue-green alga that is normally found in tropical and subtropical areas in warm alkaline water. Spirulina platensis (SP) is a cyanobacterium, which has a mounting attention for of its nutritional value and pharmacological properties. It is characterized by high nutritional value where it contains high protein content (60–70% by dry weight), plenty of vitamins, amino acids, gamma-linoleic acid, and minerals. Spirulina has protective effects against oxidative stress and this effect is associated to C-phycocyanin. Phycocyanin reduced ischemia-reperfusion of cardiac dysfunction by its antioxidant and anti-apoptotic activities. It also has neuroprotective effects. Limited studies have stated the therapeutic implications of Spirulina for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.22–24 The intake of Spirulina as a diet supplement has health benefits in preventing or managing hypercholesterolemia, hyperglucagonemia, obesity, inflammation, cancer, antidiabetic effect and cardiovascular disease.18 These activities were mainly associated to phycocyanin, a dynamic protein of Spirulina. It has been reported that Phycocyanin has significant antioxidant and radical scavenging properties, offering protection against oxidative stress. Antioxidants can minimize arsenic toxicity via chelating it and scavenging free radicals. It was reported that Phycocyanin could bind with heavy metals; hence, it can chelate and remove them.25–27
Characterization of planktonic and biofilm cells from two filamentous cyanobacteria using a shotgun proteomic approach
Published in Biofouling, 2020
Maria João Leal Romeu, Dany Domínguez-Pérez, Daniela Almeida, João Morais, Alexandre Campos, Vítor Vasconcelos, Filipe J. M. Mergulhão
Allophycocyanin is a protein from the light-harvesting phycobiliprotein family, along with phycocyanin, phycoerythrin and phycoerythrocyanin, which may be found in the phycobilisome core complex (Sonani et al. 2015). Although proteins related to allophycocyanin were found in three of the four biofilm conditions, a protein fragment of phycocyanin beta chain and an additional non-specific phycobilisome protein were identified in both cyanobacterial strains for biofilms formed at 40 s −1. Phycobilisomes are present in cyanobacteria and red algae and are formed by phycobiliproteins and also linker proteins (MacColl 1998). Allophycocyanin is considered an accessory pigment to chlorophyll and exhibits unique absorbance and fluorescence characteristics due to a lack of susceptibility to internal and external fluorescence quenching. Due to these features, allophycocyanin is ideal for highly sensitive studies such as flow cytometry and immunoassays (Manirafasha et al. 2016). Indeed, phycobiliproteins are regularly found in high abundance and they may constitute up to 50% of the total cellular protein of a cyanobacterium (Anderson et al. 2006). Previous proteomic studies with other cyanobacterial strains (Synechocystis PCC 6803) also identified proteins related to this phycobiliprotein family in their plasma membrane (Huang et al. 2002; Pisareva et al. 2007). In another study, which aimed to evaluate proteomic changes after heat shock in Synechocystis PCC 6803, a decreased expression level for phycobilisome was observed (Slabas et al. 2006).
Related Knowledge Centers
- Allophycocyanin
- Carotenoid
- Chlorophyll
- Cyanobacteria
- Immunoassay
- Phycoerythrin
- Spirulina
- Phycobiliprotein
- Phycobilisome
- Organic Sulfide