Recent Advancements and Future Perspectives of Microalgae-Derived Pharmaceuticals.

Donghua Xia,Junying Liu,Xianxian Wang,Wen Qiu

doi:10.3390/md19120703

Abstract

Microalgal cells serve as solar-powered factories that produce pharmaceuticals, recombinant proteins (vaccines and drugs), and valuable natural byproducts that possess medicinal properties. The main advantages of microalgae as cell factories can be summarized as follows: they are fueled by photosynthesis, are carbon dioxide-neutral, have rapid growth rates, are robust, have low-cost cultivation, are easily scalable, pose no risk of human pathogenic contamination, and their valuable natural byproducts can be further processed. Despite their potential, there are many technical hurdles that need to be overcome before the commercial production of microalgal pharmaceuticals, and extensive studies regarding their impact on human health must still be conducted and the results evaluated. Clearly, much work remains to be done before microalgae can be used in the large-scale commercial production of pharmaceuticals. This review focuses on recent advancements in microalgal biotechnology and its future perspectives.

Highlights

Interest in microalgae bioactive compound production is being driven by a growing number of studies demonstrating their beneficial effects on human health [1]
Microalgal cell factories provide a wide range of pharmaceutical products, recombined proteins, vaccines, and drugs that otherwise are unavailable or are too expensive to produce from human cell lines or plant sources [3] (Figure 1)
Microalgae have long been known as promising platforms due to their feasibility in modern manufacturing facilities, only using carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to produce bioactive compounds

Summary

Introduction

Interest in microalgae bioactive compound production is being driven by a growing number of studies demonstrating their beneficial effects on human health [1]. These algaebased bioactive compounds are essential for the development of drugs for human diseases, as many viable drugs are microalgae-originated products and often exhibit antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities [2]. As fast-growing and solar-powered biofactories, microalgae are ideal platforms that possess the potential to meet the enormous demand of biopharmaceutical and human nutraceutical production. The advantages of microalgae include their (1) higher production yields of bioactive compounds through solar energy and carbon dioxide utilization; (2) shorter growth periods with a doubling time

Results

Discussion

Conclusion