scientific notions
Spirulina algae
Spirulina algae in science
Spirulina and athletic performance
A recent study shows that taking spirulina in overweight women who undergo 3 training sessions per week for 8 weeks (High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)) improves fitness and increases immunoglobulin A (IgA), which is important in the body’s defence against infection by pathogens. [1]
A further study conducted on arm cycling subjects shows that spirulina supplementation increases the amount of bioavailable iron and thus hemoglobin in the blood, resulting in improved performance under stress (ergogenic action). [2]
Glucose regulation
One study shows that spirulina has a hypoglycaemic action through stimulation of insulin secretion by pancreatic β-cells and increases the transport of blood glucose to peripheral tissues. [3]
Phycocianin
Spirulina algae is rich in phycocyanin (PC), a pigment-protein complex of the phycobiliprotein (PBP) family characterized by an intense blue color.
Some of the main functions of phycocyanin are listed below:
- Antioxidant action → effectively reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibiting lipid peroxidation. ROS are harmful to cells and lead to various cardiovascular and neurological pathological conditions, diabetes and cancer. [4; 5; 6]
- Anti-cancer properties → in vitro studies show that phycocyanin can block DNA synthesis by inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. Regulates gene expression to induce apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells (regulation of p53, Fas/FasL and Bcl-2 pathways). It also inhibits the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which is associated with tumor progression and metastasis. [5]
- Association with certain drugs → it has been observed that phycocyanin, when associated with certain drugs, enhances their effect and decreases their side effects. For example, it is known that in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells, the expression of the Multi-Drug Reactivity 1 (MDR1) gene is regulated by ROS and the COX-2 enzyme and is involved in resistance to several anticancer drugs such as doxorubicin (DOX). Phycocyanin (PC), in this sense, by reducing ROS and inhibiting COX-2 expression, down-regulates MDR-1 preventing DOX resistance in HepG2 cells. [7]
Studies in the literature in different pathological contexts:
- In the field of hemostasis, phycocyanin has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of agonist-induced human platelet aggregation as it prevents the effects of ROS in the early stages of platelet activation. According to these results, phycocyanin could be useful in antiplatelet therapy in patients diagnosed with arterial thrombosis. [8]
- Alloxan is a toxic glucose-like compound that destroys pancreatic beta cells inducing type 1 diabetes mellitus. In a recent study, mice were exposed to alloxan and treated with phycocyanin (PC). As a result, PC counteracted glycosylated proteins and serum glucose levels. Therefore, the use of PC promoted the regeneration of pancreatic beta cells in which alloxan-induced damage had occurred. [9]