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Review
. 2023 Aug 4;21(8):440.
doi: 10.3390/md21080440.

Microalgae: A Promising Source of Bioactive Phycobiliproteins

Latifa Tounsi  1   2 , Hajer Ben Hlima  1 , Faiez Hentati  3 , Ons Hentati  1 , Hana Derbel  1 , Philippe Michaud  2 , Slim Abdelkafi  1
Affiliations
Review

Microalgae: A Promising Source of Bioactive Phycobiliproteins

Latifa Tounsi et al. Mar Drugs. .

Abstract

Phycobiliproteins are photosynthetic light-harvesting pigments isolated from microalgae with fluorescent, colorimetric and biological properties, making them a potential commodity in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. Hence, improving their metabolic yield is of great interest. In this regard, the present review aimed, first, to provide a detailed and thorough overview of the optimization of culture media elements, as well as various physical parameters, to improve the large-scale manufacturing of such bioactive molecules. The second section of the review offers systematic, deep and detailed data about the current main features of phycobiliproteins. In the ultimate section, the health and nutritional claims related to these bioactive pigments, explaining their noticeable potential for biotechnological uses in various fields, are examined.

Keywords: biological activities; biotechnological applications; culture; microalgae; phycobiliproteins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structural and energetic funnel models of phycobilisome. APC is allophycocyanin; cyt is cytochrome; D1 and D2 are proteins related to chlorophyll; PC is phycocyanin; PE is phycoerythrin; and TP is terminal pigment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A flowchart illustrating the upstream and downstream processes involved in the production of microalgae-based PBPs.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Functional and biological properties of phycobiliproteins: great potential for biotechnological applications.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Proposed pathway mechanisms for PC-induced autophagy and apoptosis in cancer cells.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Utilizing phycobiliproteins in biotechnology: various applications and uses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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