Purification of C-phycocyanin from Spirulina (Arthrospira) fusiformis

C-phycocyanin was purified from Spirulina (Arthrospira) fusiformis by a multi-step treatment of the crude extract with rivanol in a ratio 10:1 (v/v), followed by 40% saturation with ammonium sulfate. After removal of rivanol by gel-filtration on Sephadex G-25, the pigment solution was saturated to 70% with ammonium sulfate. After the last step of purification, C-phycocyanin had an emission and absorption maxima at 620 and 650 nm, respectively and absorbance ratio A(620)/A(280) of 4.3, which are specific for the pure biliprotein. Its homogeneity was demonstrated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, yielding two bands of molecular masses 19500 and 21500 kDa, corresponding to alpha and beta subunits of the pigment, respectively. The yield of C-phycocyanin was approximately 46% from its content in the crude extract.     

钝顶螺旋藻藻胆蛋白的分离,纯化及其理化特性

钝顶螺旋藻(Spirulina Platensis var.nanjingensis)一变异株的水溶性色素精提物,经固体硫酸铵沉淀,羟基磷灰石(HA)和Sephadex G-100柱层析后可分离、纯化出藻蓝蛋白(C-PC)和别藻蛋白(APC)。它们的纯度可分别达到AS 620/A_(277)=4.71;A_(650)/A_(270)=5.62。纯化后的C—PC和APC在聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(PAGE)中仅见一条色带,其最大吸收峰分别在620nm和050nm。经12％的十二烷基硫酸钠—聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(SDS—PAGE),以及高效液相色谱(HPLC)分离,C—PC和APC均可分为α和β两个亚单位。两者的亚单位分子量分别为:C—PC—α,15000;C—PC—β,14500;APC—α,15000;APC—β,13500。依此推算,该藻的C—PC和APC的最小分子量应为29.5kD和28.5kD。经等电电泳法测定,其C—PC和APC的等电点分别在4.8和4.9。氨基酸组成和含量分析结果表明,除色氨酸(Try)未测外,c—PC含有14种氨基酸,APC含有15种氨基酸,两者都缺乏组氨酸(His)和脯氨酸(Pro),C—PC还缺少蛋氨酸(Met)。     

A simple method for extracting C-phycocyanin from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spirulina platensis</Emphasis> using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Klebsiella pneumoniae</Emphasis>

C-phycocyanin (C-PC) was extracted from fresh Spirulina platensis by deploying a species of non-pathogenic nitrogen-fixing bacteria, namely, Klebsiella pneumoniae. The algal slurry was neither washed nor centrifuged; the bacterial culture was poured into the slurry, the vessel sealed, and crude C-PC extracted after about 24 h. The extraction was clean and efficient, and the purity and concentration of C-PC proved to be of adequate quality.     

Production of phycocyanin—a pigment with applications in biology, biotechnology, foods and medicine

C-phycocyanin (C-PC) is a blue pigment in cyanobacteria, rhodophytes and cryptophytes with fluorescent and antioxidative properties. C-PC is presently extracted from open pond cultures of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis although these cultures are not very productive and open for contaminating organisms. C-PC is considered a healthy ingredient in cyanobacterial-based foods and health foods while its colouring, fluorescent or antioxidant properties are utilised only to a minor extent. However, recent research and developments in C-PC synthesis and functionality have expanded the potential applications of C-PC in biotechnology, diagnostics, foods and medicine: The productivity of C-PC has been increased in heterotrophic, high cell density cultures of the rhodophyte Galdieria sulphuraria that are grown under well-controlled and axenic conditions. C-PC purification protocols based on various chromatographic principles or novel two-phase aqueous extraction methods have expanded in numbers and improved in performance. The functionality of C-PC as a fluorescent dye has been improved by chemical stabilisation of C-PC complexes, while protein engineering has also introduced increased stability and novel biospecific binding sites into C-PC fusion proteins. Finally, our understanding of the physiological functions of C-PC in humans has been improved by a mechanistic hypothesis that links the chemical properties of the phycocyanobilin chromophores of C-PC to the natural antioxidant, bilirubin, and may explain the observed health benefits of C-PC intake. This review outlines how C-PC is produced and utilised and discusses the novel C-PC synthesis procedures and applications.     

Large-scale recovery of C-phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis using expanded bed adsorption chromatography

C-phycocyanin was purified on a large scale by a combination of expanded bed adsorption, anion-exchange chromatography and hydroxyapatite chromatography from inferior Spirulina platensis that cannot be used for human consumption. First, phycobiliproteins were extracted by a simple, scaleable method and then were recovered by Phenyl-Sepharose chromatography in an expanded bed column. The purity (the A(620)/A(280) ratio) of C-phycocyanin isolated with STREAMLINE column was up to 2.87, and the yield was as high as 31 mg/g of dried S. platensis. After the first step, we used conventional anion-exchange chromatography for the purification steps, with a yield of 7.7 mg/g of dried S. platensis at a purity greater than 3.2 and with an A(620)/A(650) index higher than 5.0. The fractions from anion-exchange chromatography with a level of purity that did not conform to the above standard were subjected to hydroxyapatite chromatography, with a C-PC yield of 4.45 mg/g of dried S. platensis with a purity greater than 3.2. The protein from both purification methods showed one absolute absorption peak at 620 nm and a fluorescence maximum at 650 nm, which is consistent with the typical spectrum of C-phycocyanin. SDS-PAGE gave two bands corresponding to 21 and 18 kDa. In-gel digestion and LC-ESI-MS showed that the protein is C-phycocyanin.     

Analytical grade C-phycocyanin obtained by a single-step purification process

C-phycocyanin (C-PC) is a phycobiliprotein that can be used as a natural blue dye in the food and cosmetic industries, as a biomarker or as an agent in medical treatments, depending on its purity grade. Here we described for the first time a single-step purification process of C-PC extracted from the wet biomass of Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis LEB-52 using ion exchange chromatography with pH gradient elution. Different conditions varying the elution buffers and volumes, the loading pH and the addition of salt in the elution buffer were studied. The chromatographic condition that resulted in high recovery and purity consisted in equilibration and washing with 0.025 mol/L Tris-HCl buffer pH 6.5 and elution combining a step with 0.08 mol/L NaCl in 0.025 mol/L Tris-HCl buffer pH 6.5 and a pH gradient elution with 0.05 mol/L citrate buffer pH 6.2–3.0. This process resulted in C-PC with purities of 4.2 and 3.5 with recoveries of 32.6 and 49.5 %, respectively, in one purification step.     

发菜藻蓝蛋白分离纯化的研究

以发菜为材料,比较了提取液类型和饱和硫酸铵浓度对藻蓝蛋白提取的影响,并对藻蓝蛋白的提取程序和部分特性进行了研究。结果表明:50 mmol/L KP缓冲液(pH值7.2)是合适的提取液,体积分数为40%~50%饱和硫酸铵盐析效果优于其它浓度。经过DEAE-Toyopeal 650 S离子交换层析和SuperdexTM200凝胶过滤层析后,藻蓝蛋白纯度达6.2,最大吸收峰位于615 nm,荧光发射峰位于649 nm,由α和β2个亚基组成,其分子质量分别为18 051.17和19 142.27 Da。因此,发菜藻蓝蛋白分离纯化较为理想的程序为:藻粉→50 mmol/L KP缓冲液(pH值7.2)浸泡→French pressure(1 500 kg/cm2)破碎细胞→40%~50%饱和硫酸铵盐析→DEAE-Toyopeal 650 S离子交换层析→SuperdexTM200凝胶过滤层析→较纯的藻蓝蛋白。     

A novel water-soluble nanoparticles of hypocrellin B and their interaction with a model protein: C-phycocyanin

A type of novel hypocrellin B gelatin nanoparticles (HB-G-NP), with size of 20-200 nm, was prepared and characterized. The nanoparticles are readily soluble in water or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The interaction between HB-G-NP and a fluorescence protein, C-phycocyanin (C-PC) from Spirulina platensis, was studied. It was found that the energy transfer from HB to C-PC was quite efficient, suggesting adsorption of C-PC on surface of the nanoparticles; secondly, the photosensitization of HB resulted in not only the photo-damage of C-PC but also the photobleaching of HB in the presence of oxygen while it did not in the absence of oxygen, suggesting that the movable reactive oxygen species, instead of the immovable anionic radicals of the photosensitizer, should be responsible for the photo-induced processes. Considering the short free diffusion path length of the reactive oxygen species, it can be deduced that smaller or ring-like particles should be more effective for photo-damage of biomolecules or target tissues.     

Characterization of the transient species generated by the photoexcitation of C-phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis: a laser photolysis and pulse radiolysis study

Nanosecond laser flash photolysis and pulse radiolysis were used to generate and characterize the triplet state and cation radical of C-phycocyanin (C-PC) from Spirulina platensis. The transient absorption spectra of C-PC were measured from direct excitation and acetone sensitization in aqueous solution at room temperature by KrF (248 nm) laser flash photolysis. Laser-induced transient species have been characterized by the method of acetone sensitization and one-electron oxidation. In nitrous oxide-saturated phosphate buffer saline (pH = 7.0) of C-PC, the produced intermediates are assigned to the excited triplet state and the radical cation. Using acetone as photosensitizer, the C-PC excited triplet states produced via triplet-triplet energy transfer and the C-PC radical cation from electron transfer reaction were further confirmed. Furthermore, the corresponding kinetic parameters were determined. To our knowledge, the transient absorption spectra of C-PC have been reported for the first time.     

Single-step chromatography for simultaneous purification of C-phycocyanin and allophycocyanin with high purity and recovery from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spirulina</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arthrospira</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">platensis</Emphasis>

The cyanobacterium Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis is a good source of phycobiliprotein purification. C-phycocyanin (C-PC) is the major phycobiliprotein, while allophycocyanin (APC) is less abundant in S. platensis. Previously reported methods for C-PC purification are only able to offer either high purity or high efficiency. This paper describes one-step anion exchange chromatography method with continuous pH gradient elution for simultaneous purification of C-PC and APC with high purity and high recovery. Crude C-PC and APC were extracted and concentrated by ammonium sulfate fractionation at saturation of 25% and 60%, then purified on a DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow chromatography column with continuous pH gradient elution from pH 5.0 to 3.6. After this single-step chromatography, C-PC and APC with high purity and recovery were simultaneously obtained. The purity ratios of C-PC and APC reached 5.59 (A₆₂₀/A₂₈₀) and 5.19 (A₆₅₀/A₂₈₀), respectively. Their purity was further demonstrated by electrophoresis and fluorescence emission spectroscopy. Moreover, the total recovery yield of pure C-PC and APC were 67.04% and 80.0%, representing 111.83 and 29.28 mg·g⁻¹ lyophilized weight, respectively. The obtained C-PC and APC remained stable over a pH range of 4–9. This purification method for high purity and recovery of C-PC and APC proved to be fairly efficient compared with previously reported methods.     

Purification and immunomodulating activity of C-phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis cultured using power plant flue gas

In this study, flue gas from a power plant smokestack was applied to culture Spirulina platensis microalgae. Our results will not only achieve the fixation of carbon from the emissions, products can also be produced from the algal biomass that possess physiological activities which could be beneficial to human health. An improved one-step process of chromatography was used to produce high-purity C-phycocyanin with a PC ratios >3.5. Adding different concentrations of ammonium sulfate produced different amounts of C-phycocyanin, with 40% generating the highest yield, followed by 35% and 30% concentrations. Immunomodulating activities were evaluated in the murine macrophage cell line J774A.1. We found that C-phycocyanin had the capability to induce secretion of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, and that these results were not due to contamination with LPS. Treatment with C-phycocyanin also increased proIL-1β and COX-2 protein expression dose-dependently. Furthermore, C-phycocyanin rapidly stimulated phosphorylation of inflammatory-related signaling molecules, including ERK, JNK, p38 and IκB. In addition, although C-phycocyanin decreased production of LPS-induced ROS, it did not inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines in J774A.1 cells. This is the first report to show that C-phycocyanin exhibited a detailed molecular mechanism of bioactivity by boosting immunomodulation performance.     

A novel method of single step hydrophobic interaction chromatography for the purification of phycocyanin from Phormidium fragile and its characterization for antioxidant property

Phycocyanin--a major phycobiliprotein constitutively produced by many cyanobacteria--holds several promising applications in diagnostics, biomedical research, and therapeutics. This paper discusses a novel rapid method for the purification of cyanobacterial phycocyanin (C-PC) from Phormidium fragile using hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The protein was extracted and concentrated by grinding under liquid nitrogen and ammonium sulfate fractionation. C-PC was purified by single step hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Purified phycocyanin showed absorbance maximum (lambda(max)) at 624 nm. The criterion of purity (R) achieved was 4.52. Phycocyanin to phycoerythrin and phycocyanin to allophycocyanin purity ratio were 3.85 and 7.49, respectively. The purified protein showed a pI of 5.2 and has two subunits with molecular mass of 19 and 20 kDa each, corresponding to its highly reported alpha and beta subunits. The subunits of phycocyanin were confirmed by their bilin fluorescence using zinc assisted fluorescence enhancement technique. Intact C-PC was of 125 kDa as determined by HPLC, suggested the (alphabeta)(3) subunit assembly. Results obtained by this method in terms of purity, recovery, process time, simplicity, and efficacy are much better than previous methodologies. Purified phycocyanin was further scrutinized for its antioxidant capacity and judged against five non-enzymatic antioxidants by FRAP assay.     

Strategy for a protein purification design using C-phycocyanin extract

A variety of techniques have been developed for the separation and recovery of proteins. The cost of purifying the product is frequently determined by the desired quality of the final product, which is evaluated by measuring the purity. In this work the design of a protein purification process for C-phycocyanin, a phycobiliprotein that can be used in the food and medical industries, was established. The study evaluated the use of ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration to purify C-phycocyanin in a variety of sequences. The final design included the C-phycocyanin extraction step, precipitation with ammonium sulfate and ion exchange chromatography. When the elution step was studied, the kind of elution and pH were considered in order to obtain a product with a final purity of 4.0 with a purification factor of 6.35, so that, at the end of the strategy, C-phycocyanin of analytical grade would be obtained.     

The Inhibitory Effect of C-phycocyanin Containing Protein Extract (C-PC Extract) on Human Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) in Hepatocellular Cancer Cell Line (HepG2)

Spirulina platensis :have been studied for several biological activities. In the current study C-phycocyanin containing protein extract (C-PC extract) of Spirulina platensis have been studied for its effect on human matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9) and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2). In the present study, breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB 231) and hepatocellular cancer cell line (HepG2) were examined for inhibition of MMPs at different levels of expression after C-PC extract treatment. Herein, we have demonstrated that C-PC extract significantly reduced activity of MMP-2 by 55.13% and MMP-9 by 57.9% in HepG2 cells at 15 μg concentration. Additionally, the treatment has reduced mRNA expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 at 20 μg concentration by 1.65-folds and 1.66-folds respectively. The C-PC extract treatment have also downregulated a mRNA expression of TIMP-2 by 1.12 folds at 20 μg concentration in HepG2 cells. Together, these results indicate that C-PC, extract successfully inhibited MMP-2 and -9 at different levels of expression and TIMP-2 at a mRNA expression level; however, extract did not have any effect on MMP-1 expressed in MDA-MB231 and TIMP-1 expressed in HepG2 cells as well as the exact mechanism of inhibition of MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-2 remained unclear.     

Purification and characterization of C-Phycocyanin from cyanobacterial species of marine and freshwater habitat

The present paper describes an efficient single step chromatographic method for purification of C-Phycocyanin from three cyanobacterial species, i.e., Spirulina sp. (freshwater), Phormidium sp. (marine water) and Lyngbya sp. (marine water). C-Phycocyanin from these cyanobacterial species was purified to homogeneity and some of their properties were investigated. The purification involves a multistep treatment of the crude extract by fractional precipitation with ammonium sulfate, followed by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B column. Pure C-Phycocyanin was finally obtained from Spirulina, Phormidium, and Lyngbya spp. with purity ratio (A620/A280) 4.42, 4.43, and 4.59, respectively, further the purity and homogeneity were confirmed by native and SDS-PAGE. The estimated molecular weights of purified C-PC from Spirulina, Phormidium, and Lyngbya spp. were 112, 131, and 81 kDa, respectively. SDS-PAGE of pure C-Phycocyanin yielded two bands corresponding to alpha and beta subunits. The results of SDS-PAGE demonstrate the same molecular weight of beta subunits (24.4 kDa) for all the three cyanobacterial species, whereas the molecular weight of the alpha subunit is different for all (17 kDa Spirulina sp., 19.1 kDa Phormidium sp., 15.2 kDa Lyngbya sp.). Thus, the C-Phycocyanin was characterized as (alphabeta)3 for Spirulina and Phormidium spp., while as (alphabeta)2 for Lyngbya sp.     

Probing connection of PBS with the photosystems in intact cells of Spirulina platensis by temperature-induced fluorescence fluctuation

Temperature-dependent fluorescence for intact cells of cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis was detected to search for the connection of the phycobilisome (PBS) with Photosystem I (PSI) and Photosystem II (PSII). Some interesting results were obtained from the deconvoluted fluorescence components of C-phycocyanin (C-PC), allophycocyanin (APC), PSI and PSII as well as the fluorescence spectra of the intact cells at room temperature (RT=25 degrees C) and 0 degrees C. It was observed that, compared to those at RT, both of the fluorescence components for PSI and APC increased, whereas those for PSII and C-PC decreased at 0 degrees C with excitation at 580 nm, that is, the fluorescence for C-PC is not synchronous with that for APC, and the fluorescence fluctuation for PSI is not synchronous with that for PSII. On the other hand, the decrease in C-PC fluorescence is synchronous with the increase in PSI fluorescence, and the increase in APC fluorescence is synchronous with the decrease in PSII fluorescence. Therefore, it can be readily deduced that PBS should be coupled not only with PSII through the terminal acceptors in the APC core but also with PSI through C-PC in PBS rods at physiological condition, while at 0 degrees C, a migration of a PBS makes the APC partially detached from PSII but the C-PC more efficiently coupled with PSI. The results provide good evidences for "mobile PBS" model and "parallel connection" model but not for the "spillover" model.     

C-Phycocyanin Modulates Selenite-Induced Cataractogenesis in Rats

The present investigation is aimed to evaluate the anticataractogenic potential of C-phycocyanin (C-PC), extracted and purified from Spirulina platensis. Enucleated rat lenses were maintained in vitro in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium (DMEM). Group I contained DMEM, Group II and Group III contained 100 μM of sodium selenite, Group III was subdivided into three viz IIIa, IIIb, IIIc supplemented with 100, 150, 200 μg of C-PC respectively. In the in vivo study, on tenth day post partum: Group I rat pups received an intraperitoneal injection of saline, Group II, IIIa, IIIb, and IIIc rat pups received a subcutaneous injection of sodium selenite (19 μmol/kg bodyweight) Group IIIa, IIIb, IIIc also received an intraperitoneal injection of 100, 150, 200 mg/kg body weight of C-PC, respectively, from postpartum days?9–14. On termination of the experiment, the lenses from both in vitro and in vivo studies were subjected to morphological examination and subsequently processed to estimate the activities of antioxidant enzymes namely superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, levels of reduced glutathione and lipid peroxidation products. Sodium selenite-exposed, C-PC-treated rat lenses (Group IIIc), showed significant restoration of antioxidant enzyme activity (p?<?0.05) when compared to their counterpart Group II. Group IIIc conserved the levels of GSH and lipid peroxidation products at near to normal levels as compared with Group II. Results conclude the possible role of C-PC in modulating the antioxidant enzyme status, thereby retarding sodium selenite-induced cataract incidence both in vitro and in vivo.     

Antioxidant potential of C-phycocyanin isolated from cyanobacterial species Lyngbya, Phormidium and Spirulina spp

The antioxidant activity of C-Phycocyanin (C-PC) isolated from three cyanobacterial species Lyngbya (marine), Phormidium (marine) and Spirulina (fresh water) was studied in vitro. The results demonstrate that C-PCs from Lyngbya, Phormidium and Spirulina spp. are able to scavenge peroxyl radicals (determined by crocin bleaching assay) with relative rate constant ratio of 3.13, 1.89 and 1.8, respectively. C-PCs also scavenge hydroxyl radicals (determined by deoxyribose degradation assay) with second order rate constant values of 7.87 x 10(10), 9.58 x 10(10) and 6.42 x 10(10), respectively. Interestingly, Lyngbya C-PC is found to be an effective inhibitor of peroxyl radicals (IC50 6.63 microM), as compared to Spirulina (IC50 12.15 microM) and Phormidium C-PC (IC50 12.74 microM) and is close to uric acid (IC50 2.15 microM). Further, the studies suggest that the covalently-linked tetrapyrrole chromophore phycocyanobilin is involved in the radical scavenging activity of C-PC. The electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of C-PCs indicate the presence of free radical active sites, which may play an important role in its radical scavenging property. This is the first report on the ESR activity of native C-PCs without perturbations that can cause radical formation.     

Thermal stability improvement of blue colorant C-Phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis for food industry applications

C-Phycocyanin (C-PC) is a blue pigment in cyanobacteria, rhodophytes and cryptophytes with potential use as a value-added food colorant. Its stability was studied by examining the thermal degradation reactions in a range of temperature (25-80 °C) before and after the addition of selected edible preservatives. The natural protein crosslinker methylglyoxal does not stabilize significantly C-PC whereas addition of honey or high concentration of sugars greatly diminish the blue color degradation occurring when C-PC is exposed to high temperature.Data show that the sugar preservative effect on the C-PC blue color is related to the final concentration of sugar added rather than the type of sugar. For this reason the best preservative was found to be fructose, which is the most soluble sugar among those tested, at saturation concentration. Exploratory sterilization studies have been carried out with six blue/green fructose syrups made by mixing C-PC with the natural yellow pigment Carthamus tinctorius. Both after a “low temperature” and a “high temperature” sterilization procedure the syrups remain clear and maintain their bright color with only partial blue color degradation. After the sterilization process, the syrups were monitored for two months, in such observation period the loss of blue color is minimal.     

Kinetic studies on thermal denaturation of C-phycocyanin

The kinetics of thermal denaturation of a biliprotein, C-phycocyanin (C-PC) isolated from Spirulina platensis were studied at different pH values, ranging from 4.0 to 8.0. The denaturation of C-PC follows the first order kinetics and rate constant at pH 5.0 and temperature 55 degrees C is found to be 4.37 x 10(-5) s(-1), which increases to 5.46 x 10(-1) s(-1) at pH 7.0. The denaturation rate is much higher at 65 degrees C and pH 7.0 (7.96 x 10(-4)), as compared to at pH 5.0 (1.46 x 10(-4)). The thermal stability of C-PC is more at pH 5.0, as compared to other pH values. The observed differences in entropy values at pH 5.0, as compared to other pH values indicate a considerably close fit structure of the protein at pH 5.0, which increases the stability of native structure, even at higher temperature (65 degrees C).