Phycocyanin

Phycocyanin (PC), the bright blue pigment that colors Spirulina, is now gaining significant traction in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries due to its multifunctional bioactivities. PC has been shown to scavenge ROS, induce antioxidant enzymes, inhibit COX-2/iNOS/NF-κB and counteract inflammation in arthritis, lung injury, myocardial infarction and diabetic nephropathy in clinical and pre-clinical models. PC stops cancer cells from dividing (G0/G1 arrest), induces mitochondrial apoptosis and down-regulates VEGF-A and MMP expression to inhibit metastasis and enhance the efficacy of chemo- or radiotherapy.
PC also inhibits formation of Aβ and α-synuclein fibrils, reverses cognitive decline in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's models, reduces blood glucose, LDL levels and adipogenesis, protects liver and kidneys from toxins/drug damage, speeds wound remodeling, suppresses melanogenesis to lighten skin and has broad spectrum antibacterial/antifungal activities useful in targeting acne, dermatitis and drug-resistant superbugs.

Fig. 1 Applications of Phycocyanin. (Fernandes R.; et al. 2023)

Microfluidic-engineered core-shell SA-E microcapsules with alginate cores and ethyl-cellulose shells and 20-30 µm thick walls effectively protected phycocyanin (PC) during GI transit, releasing >98% of their payload in the colon and protecting PC from gastric acid, bile, heat, and enzymatic degradation. Notably, unlike capsules with 10 or 50 µm thick walls that release payload in the stomach and small intestine, 20-30 µm capsules delayed release until colonic pH 6.5 fluid, releasing intact PC with antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. Treatment with microcapsulated PC resulted in reduced colitis and colonic polyps in mice, indicative of decreased cancer risk.

Fig. 2 Microfluidic preparation of core-shell microcapsules for Phycocyanin. (Wang X.; et al. 2022)