The seas and oceans are teeming with hidden treasures that have not been discovered yet. Marine life is characterized by the diversity of its living creatures, whether plants or animals. As technology flourished and underwater diving equipment developed, humans have a greater opportunity to explore this world now. In recent years, researchers have been able to extract many drugs from marine creatures, such as sponges, corals, and algae.
Algae belong to the kingdom of protozoa; they are either unicellular, such as diatoms; or multicellular, such as seaweed, like brown, red, and green algae. Algae are similar to plants, as they contain chloroplasts and perform photosynthesis to obtain energy; however, they do not have roots, stems, and leaves like plants. Some species are similar to animals, as they move using false feet or flagella.
Microalgae live suspended in water, forming phytoplankton, which is the main food for most ecosystems. Multicellular algae can grow as big as trees forming kelp forests, which is the main source of food for cold water ecosystems. Algae can live in extreme conditions due to chemicals deposited in the wall of the cell.
Algae have a vital role on Earth, as they maintain the levels of carbon dioxide and protect against climate change. As for their uses in industry, they are included in the manufacture of bio-fuels, food, medicine, cosmetics, and nutritional supplements. Algae are used as food supplements because they contain substances such as carotenoids, which have antioxidant properties. Algae also contain all kinds of amino acids that are not created by the human body and are necessary to protect against free radicals.
Moreover, algae are used in drug development because they contain chemical and biological compounds with diverse properties. Some algae contain fibers and proteins that are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral. Furthermore, they contain many compounds such as fats, steroids, polysaccharides, fatty acids, and vitamins. However, the field of algae-based drug development is still in the bud. Hereunder, we will introduce some different studies on algae and their use in drug development.
Researchers at the University of Florida and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History have been studying blue–green algae, which are single-celled organisms that live both in water and on land. These algae communicate and defend themselves by secreting chemical compounds. By studying these compounds and their medicinal properties, they discovered that a type of blue–green algae secretes a substance called Gatrobulin-1, which has an anti-cancer effect. The researchers studied this compound and how it eliminates cancer, and found that it targets the tubulin protein, which has a role in cell division. Even though there is an available anti-cancer drug targeting the tubulin, researchers found that it works in a different way.
Algae can be used in producing certain proteins that are used in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, used genetic engineering techniques to insert some genes into the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to produce several proteins.
Recombinant protein-based biologics began to enter the market in 1982. In order to produce these drugs, bacterial or yeast cells or mammalian cell cultures, such as Chinese hamster ovary cells, are used. Establishing a single factory costs 400 million dollars; however, an algae-based factory would cost 20 million dollars only, as it only needs to complete photosynthesis from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, in addition to the low cost of green algae. If algae are used in the production of biological drugs for cancer and multiple sclerosis, the price of these drugs will decrease.
In a study at the University of South Australia, researchers using genetic engineering were able to use algae to deliver cancer drugs to the target cells. Usually, nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems use graphene; however, in this study the researchers used a type of diatoms instead of graphene. These diatoms are made of silica, a material that does not corrode quickly and is biodegradable. The diatoms were modified and coated with a layer of antibodies that target the cancer cells. This system has been tested in the laboratory and on mice; the results indicate its efficacy.
The future of pharmaceutical industry, related to algae-based drugs, is promising. We hope that these drugs will compete their well-known counterparts in the market in terms if efficiency and cost.
References
bio.libretexts.org
iflscience.com
nature.com
news-medical.net
scripps.ucsd.edu
smithsonianmag.com
thoughtco.com