Arthrospira maxima prevents the acute fatty liver induced by the administration of simvastatin,ethanol and a hypercholesterolemic diet to mice

An evident fatty liver, corroborated morphologically and chemically, was produced in CD-1 mice after five daily doses of simvastatin 75 mg/Kg body weight, a hypercholesterolemic diet and 20 percent ethanol in the drinking water. After treating the animals, they presented serum triacylglycerols levels five times higher than the control mice, total lipids, cholesterol and triacylglycerols in the liver were 2, 2 and 1.5 times higher, respectively, than in control animals. When Arthrospira maxima was given with diet two weeks prior the onset of fatty liver induction, there was a decrement of liver total lipids (40%), liver triacylglycerols (50%) and serum triacylglycerols (50%) compared to the animals with the same treatment but without Arthrospira maxima. In addition to the mentioned protective effect, the administration of this algae, produced a significant increase (45%) in serum high density lipoproteins. The mechanism for this protective effect was not established in these experiments.     

Kinetic and growth parameters of Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis cultivated in tubular photobioreactor under different cell circulation systems

Arthrospira platensis was cultivated in tubular photobioreactor in order to evaluate growth and biomass production at variable photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD = 60, 120, and 240 μmol photons m(-2)s(-1)) and employing three different systems for cell circulation, specifically an airlift, a motor-driven pumping and a pressurized system. The influence of these two independents variables on the maximum cell concentration (X(m)), cell productivity (P(x)), nitrogen-to-cell conversion factor (Y(X/N) ), photosynthetic efficiency (PE), and biomass composition (total lipids and proteins), taken as responses, was evaluated by analysis of variance. The statistical analysis revealed that the best combination of responses' mean values (X(m) = 4,055 mg L(-1), P(x) = 406 mg L(-1)day(-1), Y(X/N) = 5.07 mg mg(-1), total lipids = 8.94%, total proteins = 30.3%, PE = 2.04%) was obtained at PPFD = 120 μmol photons m(-2)s(-1); therefore, this light intensity should be considered as the most well-suited for A. platensis cultivation in this photobioreactor configuration. The airlift system did not exert any significant positive statistical influence on the responses, which suggests that this traditional cell circulation system could successfully be substituted by the others tested in this work.     

粘红酵母和钝顶螺旋藻混合培养生产微生物油脂培养基优化

通过单因素实验和正交实验对粘红酵母和钝顶螺旋藻混合培养的培养基进行了优化,得到的优化培养基于5L发酵罐中实验,葡萄糖质量浓度低于10．0g／L时,开始流加600g／L葡萄糖,控制葡萄糖质量浓度在（20±5）g/L,最终得到的油脂产量达到16．0g／L。     

Membrane inlet—ion mobility spectrometry with automatic spectra evaluation as online monitoring tool for the process control of microalgae cultivation

The cultivation of algae either in open raceway ponds or in closed bioreactors could allow the renewable production of biomass for food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, or chemical industries. Optimal cultivation conditions are however required to ensure that the production of these compounds is both efficient and economical. Therefore, high-frequency analytical measurements are required to allow timely process control and to detect possible disturbances during algae growth. Such analytical methods are only available to a limited extent. Therefore, we introduced a method for monitoring algae release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the headspace above a bioreactor in real time. This method is based on ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) in combination with a membrane inlet (MI). The unique feature of IMS is that complete spectra are detected in real time instead of sum signals. These spectral patterns produced in the ion mobility spectrum were evaluated automatically via principal component analysis (PCA). The detected peak patterns are characteristic for the respective algae culture; allow the assignment of the individual growth phases and reflect the influence of experimental parameters. These results allow for the first time a continuous monitoring of the algae cultivation and thus an early detection of possible disturbances in the biotechnological process.     

螺旋藻在光胁迫时的抗逆性研究

螺旋藻对于环境的变化有很强的适应性.以钝顶螺旋藻为实验材料,测定螺旋藻在受到较强光照胁迫时藻体的电导率以及脯氨酸、丙二醛和过氧化氢酶系的含量.在3000 lx光照下,螺旋藻6个藻株的电导率以及脯氨酸、丙二醛和过氧化氢酶系的含量比在1000 lx光照下明显升高,螺旋藻的电导率最高上升了2～6倍;细胞内的脯氨酸含量最多增加5倍,最少增加13%;丙二醛的含量增加40%～100%;过氧化氢酶的含量上升范围在19%～80%,过氧化物酶的含量上升范围在20%～100%.说明螺旋藻在受到光胁迫时自身会启动相关保护机制,产生一定的抗逆性,以适应环境的变化.     

螺旋藻细胞培养与光能利用的关系

对钝顶螺旋藻(Spirulina platensis Geitler)细胞培养体系的光衰减以及连续培养条件下藻细胞生长对光能的利用特性进行了分析,结果表明改进的Lambert-Beer定律I=I0exp(-αxL)可较好地描述细胞浓度及光程对光衰减的综合影响;引入平均光强和细胞平均比消光量概念,借鉴Monod方程形式,较好地描述了它们与比生长速率之间的关系,并求得最大比生长速率μm、光强半饱和参数kI、光能维持系数m和得率系数YG分别为μm=1.75/d,kI=1.453×10     

SODIUM DEPRIVATION UNDER ALKALINE CONDITIONS CAUSES RAPID DEATH OF THE FILAMENTOUS CYANOBACTERIUM SPIRULINA PLATENSIS1

Like other alkaliphiles, the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis (Norst.) Geitler requires sodium to function properly at elevated pH values. At pH 10.0, 150–250 mM Na⁺ were required for optimal growth, whereas 2.5 mM were sufficient for short-term photosynthetic oxygen evolution. The complete absence of sodium, however, caused S. platensis to deteriorate. O₂ evolution stopped, the absorbance at 620 nm corresponding to phycocyanin decreased, and the cells lysed within 1 h, a process accelerated by light. The activity of photosystem II, but not that of photosystem I, was affected in the process, which was irreversible unless sodium was readded within 15 minfrom the onset of the deprivation. The effect was mimicked, even in the presence of sodium, by the ionophore nigericin. We suggest that the cascade of events leading to cell lysis is primarily due to the inability of S. platensis to maintain a proton gradient (acid inside), possibly due to inactivity of a sodium/proton antiporter, as demonstrated for other alkaliphiles.     

Response of Spirulina platensis (= Arthrospira fusiformis) from Lake Chitu, Ethiopia, to salinity stress from sodium salts

Spirulina platensis (=Arthrospira fusiformis) was isolated from Lake Chitu, a soda crater lake in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, where it formsa dense and almost unialgal population. Growth experiments were run in turbidostats under constant light, to assess growth response and tolerance to salinity, as well as to the component anions. Salinity was tested over the range 13–88 g L^-1 using additions of NaHCO3, NaCl or Na2SO4. A maximum specific growth rate (μ_max d^-1) of 2.14 was achieved at the lowest salinity, but quantum yield (Φ%) was highest between 33 to 51 g L^-1. Increasing salinity of the medium reduced the specific growth rate (μ) to a minimum of 0.33 d^-1, and Φ to < 0.5%. Growth response in terms of μ and Φ was best in HCO ₃ ^- , less in Cl^-, and least in SO ₄ ^2- series. Cultures showed obvious differences in cellular morphology, pigment, nitrogen and phosphorus contents in response to treatment with the different anions. Results indicate that the species has a wide range of tolerance to salinity from NaHCO3. Some degree of tolerance is also shown to high concentrations of Cl^- and SO ₄ ² , but with an overall lower performance of cells in terms of growth rate, light utilization efficiency, and nutrient status to cells grown in high HCO ₃ ^- concentrations and the same levels of salinity and light. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A structured model for simulation of cultures of the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis in photobioreactors: II. Identification of kinetic parameters under light and mineral limitations

A structured model for the culture of cyanobacteria in photobioreactors is developed on the basis of Schuster's approximations for radiative light transfer. This model is therefore limited to monodimensional geometries and kinetic aspects.Light-harvesting pigments play a crucial role in defining the profile of radiative transfer inside the culture medium and in controlling the metabolism, particularly the metabolic deviations induced by mineral limitations. Modeling therefore requires the biomass to be divided into several compartments, among which the light-harvesting compartment allows a working illuminated volume to be defined within the photobioreactor. This volume may change during batch cultures, largely decreasing as pigment concentration increases during growth but increasing as pigments are consumed during mineral limitation. This approach enables, in photobioreactors of simple parallelepipedic, geometries, kinetic parameters to be determined with high accuracy; this may then be extended to vessels of more complex geometries, such as cylindrical photobioreactors.The model is applied to controlled batch cultures of the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis in parallelepipedic photobioreactors to assess its ability to predict the behavior of these microorganisms in conditions of light and mineral limitations. Results allowed the study of optimal operating condition for continuous cultures to be approached (c) 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Protective effect of Spirulina platensis against cell damage and apoptosis in hepatic tissue caused by high fat diet

Spirulina platensis is a microalga that may be a source of antioxidants that can reduce body fat deposition. Consumption of a high fat diet produces elevated blood lipid levels, inflammation and apoptosis. We investigated the possible effects of S. platensis on the blood lipid profile, and liver inflammation and apoptosis in rats fed a high fat diet. Sixty-four young male rats were divided into eight equal groups. The control group was fed a basic diet. The experimental groups were fed a diet for 60 days that was prepared by mixing variable amounts of 43% vegetable oil and 10% cholesterol with or without 3% S. platensis mixed with the basal diet. Blood and liver tissue samples were collected from each animal. Serum samples were used to analyze lipid parameters, total antioxidant status and total oxidant status. iNOS and eNOS were determined by immunohistochemistry. TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis to investigate a possible connection between inflammation and apoptosis in the liver tissue. The relations between fat deposition and liver degeneration were assessed by Sirius red staining and alpha-smooth muscle actin immunostaining. S. platensis reduced serum HDL-C, LDL-C and triglyceride, increased HDL-C levels in rats fed a high fat diet to near control levels, and reduced iNOS levels and increased eNOS levels in the liver tissue compared to vegetable oil and cholesterol treated groups. The apoptotic index was reduced in the groups that were fed a high fat or a basic diet when supplemented with S. platensis.