Review

A future science of tiny microorganism plays a vital role in biomedical research specifically emphasizing the microalgae. They are photosynthetic unicellular (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) organisms that play a key role in fresh and marine habitats [1]. In the last several decades, microalgae have produced various applications in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries owing to the presence of several primary and secondary metabolites such as glycolipids, vitamins, pigments, proteins, fatty acids, and polysaccharides [2,3]. The recent scientific progress from worldwide making effort in the area of microalgal biotechnology has been undertaken, including genetic engineering to modify the strains of microalgae, stress induced production of secondary metabolites using various chemicals [4,5] and different stress conditions to enhance the species to produce more bioactive compounds and biofuel [6]. Bio-medical applications of microalgae can prevent alzheimer's disease, parkinson's disease, coronary heart diseases, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, and other chronic diseases. The commercially used microalgal chemicals include β-carotene, lutein, canthaxanthin, fucoxanthin, phycoerythrin, astaxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene. Several previous reports have also shown the carotenoid contents of different strains of microalgae including Haematococcus pluvialis, Nannochloropsis gladitana, Dunaliella salina, Dunaliella bardawil, Dunaliella kona, Spirulina platensi, Arthrospira species and Chlorella zofingiensis [7-10].

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are found in microalgae cells. They are naturally synthesized by microalgae. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids include γ-linolenic acid (GLA, C18:3, n-6), α- linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3, n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5, n-3), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6, n-3), arachidonic acid (AA, C20:4, n-6). They are important components of human development. As they cannot be synthesized by mammalian cell, they are essential nutrients and provided through the diet. PUFAs are important for the function of cerebral cortex, skin, sperm, testicles and retina, and they could reduce the risk of heart disease. Data from previous reports revealed, the most common microalgae used in the production of rich PUFA are Porphyridium cruentum, Crypthecodinium cohnii, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Nannochloropsis oculata, Phaeodactylum tricornutum Chlorella vulgaris, Schizochytrium sp, Chlamydomonas variabills and Porphyridium cruentum [11-16].

Microalgae are considered today an important potential raw material for the production of a variety of products, and they are useful in human nutrition, health and pharmaceutical products. Based on their bioactive properties, this review will summarize the potential use of microalgae-derived compounds to treat metabolic dysfunction and hopefully contribute to the discovery of novel use of the bioactive compounds for the treatment of human diseases and the application in microalgal biotechnology.

Acknowledgement

Authors would like to thank UIC College Research Grant R201620 for supporting this project.

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