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Review
. 2023 Feb 28;11(3):614.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11030614.

Bacterial Pigments and Their Multifaceted Roles in Contemporary Biotechnology and Pharmacological Applications

Himani Agarwal  1 , Sneh Bajpai  1 , Arti Mishra  2 , Isha Kohli  1 , Ajit Varma  1 , Mireille Fouillaud  3 , Laurent Dufossé  3 , Naveen Chandra Joshi  1
Affiliations
Review

Bacterial Pigments and Their Multifaceted Roles in Contemporary Biotechnology and Pharmacological Applications

Himani Agarwal et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Synthetic dyes and colourants have been the mainstay of the pigment industry for decades. Researchers are eager to find a more environment friendly and non-toxic substitute because these synthetic dyes have a negative impact on the environment and people's health. Microbial pigments might be an alternative to synthetic pigments. Microbial pigments are categorized as secondary metabolites and are mainly produced due to impaired metabolism under stressful conditions. These pigments have vibrant shades and possess nutritional and therapeutic properties compared to synthetic pigment. Microbial pigments are now widely used within the pharmaceuticals, food, paints, and textile industries. The pharmaceutical industries currently use bacterial pigments as a medicine alternative for cancer and many other bacterial infections. Their growing popularity is a result of their low cost, biodegradable, non-carcinogenic, and environmentally beneficial attributes. This audit article has made an effort to take an in-depth look into the existing uses of bacterial pigments in the food and pharmaceutical industries and project their potential future applications.

Keywords: biocolorant; biotechnology; pharmaceutical applications; pigments.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Classification of natural pigments on the basis of organisms. The natural pigments can be obtained from different organisms involving plants (photosynthetic and protective pigments), animals (Chromatophores and carotenoids), and micro-organisms (prodigines, phycobiliproteins, oxyindoles), which have various pharmaceutical and industrial applications.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Extraction and purification of microbial pigments. The process of production, extraction, and purification of microbial pigments is explained in the figure and is numbered serially from 1 to 6 respectively.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Antioxidant and anti-cancer activity of bacterial pigments. There are various causative reasons leading to cancer involving genetic mutations and various mutagens, such as UV rays and chemicals. Bacterial pigments have found their use as substitutes for cancer treatment, as they have anti-cancer properties, such as scavenging of free radicals from the cancerous cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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