Biochemical Profile, Nutritional Value, and Biological Activities of Arthrospira Platensis Gomont

Arthrospira platensis (= Spirulina platensis) is a promising source of biological compounds since it has been traditionally used for the treatment of various diseases. The aim of the present study was to characterize the nutritional and biological properties of A. platensis in vitro. The detected calorie content (428.98 kcal/100 g) and phycocyanin purity (0.22%) make it possible to recommend this species as an alternative source of healthy food to reduce obesity. The estimated daily intake of A. platensis was below the acceptable WHO/FAO level so it had no adverse impacts on human health. During the process of investigations, the antioxidant, anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-acetyl cholinesterase activities of seven different algal extracts were detected. Relationship was established between the estimated biological activities and phenol content. Chloroform and ethanol algal extracts exhibited different biological properties compared to standard drugs. On the whole, 21 bioactive compounds, including fatty acids, terpenoids, phenols, and alkanes, were revealed in algal extracts as a result of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. It can be concluded that A. platensis can serve as a very important potential source of many bioactive compounds with commercial impact depending on the used solvent. Further study should be done for isolating and purifying the effective compounds, which can be used in pharmaceutical and biological manufacturing.