Table 1.
The table reports some of active pigments identified in microalgae. When available, mechanism of action, concentration used and inhibitory concentration values (IC50) are reported.
| Compound | Microalgae | Bioactivity | Concentration | Mechanism of Action | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fucoxanthin | Phaeodactylm tricornutum | Anti-obesity: (C57B/6 mice a high-fat diet). | In vivo: 771.1 and 1273.18 μg/g of diet for 15 and 30% PT powder. | Activation of AMPK and HMGCR pathways. | [34] |
| Anticancer: (Caco-2, HeLa and HepG2). |
In vitro: Dose–dependent manner (0.1, 1, 10 and 50 μg/mL). | Increased the caspase activity up to 4.6-fold. | [36] | ||
| Antioxidant: (Human primary blood cells) |
In vitro: IC50 value of 201.2 ± 21.4 μg/mL. | Inhibit the oxidative burst in human PMLs, scavenge radicals and increase the GSH to GSSH ratio. | [36] | ||
| Anti-diabetic: (3T3-L1 cells) |
In vitro: IC50 value of 0.68 mmol/L and 4.75 mmol/L | Inhibiting carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes and lipid accumulation. | [47] | ||
| β-carotene | Dunaliella salina | Antioxidant: (Albino rats of either sex of the Wister strain weighing 180–220 gm) |
In vivo: 125 μg/Kg and 250 μg/Kg. | Restores the activity of hepatic enzymes. | [58] |
| Anticancer: (MCF-7 breast cancer) |
In vitro: 250 μg/mL | Remains unclear. | [61] | ||
| Astaxanthin | Haematococcus pluvialis | Antioxidant: (Thirty-five healthy adults age 35–69 years) |
In vivo: 6 mg/day |
Remains unclear. | [68] |
| Anti-inflammatory: (young healthy adult human female). | In vivo: 2 or 8 mg/daily. | Shifting the T-lymphocyte response from a Th1 response dominated by IFN-γ to a Th1/Th2 response dominated by IFN- γ and IL-4. | [72] | ||
| Anti-diabetic: (C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice). |
In vivo: 10 mg/mouse/day. | Preservation of β cell function. | [73] | ||
| Anticancer: (HCT116 colon cancer). |
In vitro: 25 μg/mL. | Increase of p53, p21WAF-1/CIP-1 and p27 expression, decrease of cyclin D1 expression and AKT phosphorylation. | [79] | ||
| Violaxanthin | Dunaliella tertiolecta | Anticancer: (MCF-7, LNcaP cell lines) | In vitro: From 0.1 μg/mL to 40 μg/mL. | Phophatidylserines translocation. | [80] |
| Chlorella ellipsoidea | Anti-inflammatory: (Raw 264.7 cell lines). | In vitro: 60 μM | Inhibition of NF-κB | [81] | |
| Lutein | Chlorella vulgaris | Anticancer: (HCT116 cell lines). |
In vitro: IC50 values of 40.41 ± 4.43 μg/mL. | Apoptosis-inducing activity. | [84] |
| Antioxidant: (human neuroblastoma cells, rat trachea epitelial cells). | In vitro: 40–50 μM. | Remain unclear | [92] |