ABSTRACT
Antioxidant Properties of Spirulina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Structure of Phycocyanin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Effect of Phycocyanin on Lipid Peroxidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Spirulina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Immunoenhancing Effects of Spirulina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Antiviral Effects of Spirulina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Anticancer Effects of Spirulina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Heptoprotective Effect of Spirulina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Antioxidative Effect and Hepatoprotection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Metalloprotection and Hepatoprotection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Effect of Spirulina on Fatty Liver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Fatty Liver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Regulation of Lipid Metabolism and Oxidative Stress by Spirulina on Fatty Liver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Effect of Spirulina on Liver Fibrosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Liver Fibrosis and Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Oxidative Stress and Liver Fibrosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Spirulina and Potential Resolution of Liver Fibrosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Concluding Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Algae can be regarded as the first photosynthetic life-form. Three-and-a-half billion years ago, blue-green microalgae, called cyanobacteria, created our atmosphere of oxygen, enabling other life to evolve. Since then, they have helped to regulate our planet’s biosphere. This microalgae Spirulina has a spiral cellular structure, which is similar to that of a simple prokaryote. This alga has an extraordinary capacity to survive under conditions that are much too harsh for other algae. Habitats with extensive Spirulina growth include the Pacific Ocean near Japan and Hawaii, large
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Chad in Africa, Klamath of Lake Texcoco in Mexico, and Lake Titikaka in South America.1
