Modified Spirulina maxima Pectin Nanoparticles Improve the Developmental Competence of In Vitro Matured Porcine Oocytes

Molecular approaches have been used to determine metabolic substrates involved in the early embryonic processes to provide adequate culture conditions. To investigate the effect of modified Spirulina maxima pectin nanoparticles (MSmPNPs) on oocyte developmental competence, cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) retrieved from pig slaughterhouse ovaries were subjected to various concentrations of MSmPNPs (0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10 µg/mL) during in vitro maturation (IVM). In comparison to the control, MSmPNPs-5.0, and MSmPNPs-10 groups, oocytes treated with 2.5 µg/mL MSmPNPs had significantly increased glutathione (GSH) levels and lower levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Following parthenogenetic activation, the MSmPNPs-2.5 group had a considerably higher maturation and cleavage rates, blastocyst development, total cell number, and ratio of inner cell mass/trophectoderm (ICM:TE) cells, when compared with those in the control and all other treated groups. Furthermore, similar findings were reported for the developmental competence of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)-derived embryos. Additionally, the relative quantification of POU5F1, DPPA2, and NDP52 mRNA transcript levels were significantly higher in the MSmPNPs-2.5 group than in the control and other treated groups. Taken together, the current findings suggest that MSmPNP treatment alleviates oxidative stress and enhances the developmental competence of porcine in vitro matured oocytes after parthenogenetic activation and SCNT.

Marine cyanobacterium Spirulina maxima as an alternate to the animal cell culture medium supplement

Serum is a stable medium supplement for in vitro cell culture. Live cells are used in stem cell research, drug toxicity and safety testing, disease diagnosis and prevention, and development of antibiotics, drugs, and vaccines. However, use of serum in culture involves concerns such as an ethical debate regarding the collection process, lack of standardized ingredients, and high cost. Herein, therefore, we evaluated the possibility of using edible cyanobacterium (Spirulina maxima), which is a nutrient-rich, sustainable, and ethically acceptable source, as a novel substitute for fetal bovine serum (FBS). H460 cells were cultured to the 10th generation by adding a mixture of spirulina animal cell culture solution (SACCS) and FBS to the culture medium. Cell morphology and viability, cell cycle, apoptosis, proteomes, and transcriptomes were assessed. We observed that SACCS had better growth-promoting capabilities than FBS. Cell proliferation was promoted even when FBS was replaced by 50–70% SACCS; there was no significant difference in cell shape or viability. There were only slight differences in the cell cycle, apoptosis, proteomes, and transcriptomes of the cells grown in presence of SACCS. Therefore, SACCS has the potential to be an effective, low-cost, and eco-friendly alternative to FBS in in vitro culture.

Impact of Spirulina maxima Intake and Exercise (SIE) on Metabolic and Fitness Parameters in Sedentary Older Adults with Excessive Body Mass: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Life expectancy has increased unprecedentedly in recent decades, benefiting the longevity of the world’s population. The most frequent pathological conditions presented in this age group include excessive body fat, frailty, and hypercholesterolemia. These pathological characteristics condition general health and autonomy in adults to carry out their usual activities. In this sense, the search for a healthy lifestyle is necessary, consisting in a healthy diet that includes supplementation with nutraceuticals and the daily practice of physical activity. This study protocol aims to evaluate the independent and synergistic effect of 12 weeks of Spirulina maxima intake (5 g/day), with or without an exercise program on metabolic and fitness parameters of 52 sedentary older adults with excessive body mass in a double-blind, randomized, crossover, controlled trial design. The main findings from this trial will provide novel evidence for future interventions designed for the elderly population and the result will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and international meetings. ClinicalTrials.gov identification number: NCT04658875 (Effect of Spirulina maxima and Exercise on General Fitness and Blood Lipids in Older Adults).

Spirulina for Skin Care: A Bright Blue Future

Spirulina stands out as a sustainable bioactive microalga with health-promoting properties, and an important active ingredient of natural cosmetics products. Currently, Spirulina has been incorporated in topical skin-care formulations, such as a moisturizing, antiwrinkles, antiaging and antiacne agent. Furthermore, this microalga is used by cosmetic formulators to promote healthy sunscreen protection, to treat skin pigmentation disorders and to heal wounds. Most of commercial cosmetics claim a large range of Spirulina properties, including antioxidant, revitalizing, remineralizing, moisturizing, protecting alongside cleansing and shining action, both for hair and for skin. In this review, recent cosmetic applications of Spirulina are revised, by highlighting its ability in improving skin appearance and health. Additionally, the analysis of the Spirulina cosmetic benchmark is discussed. Looking at the current emergence of the beauty industry, many Spirulina extracts and dry powder/flakes, both the starting ingredient and final Spirulina-based cosmetic products, are available on the market. In this industrial field, Spirulina—mainly Spirulina platensis and Spirulina maxima—is used either as a powder, like in the case of cheaper products, or as a phycocyanin-rich blue extract, particularly in the luxury market. It is likely that, in the coming years, diversity, quality and topical applications of Spirulina will rapidly increase.

A turbidity sensor development based on NL-PI observers: Experimental application to the control of a Sinaloa’s River Spirulina maxima cultivation

This article addresses the problem of controlling the growth of microalgae originating in Mexican rivers, especially in the state of Sinaloa, Culiacan River. For this purpose, a robust, high-gain nonlinear observer is proposed to estimate the unknown disturbance in the cultivation of mixotrophic microalgae with the presence of organic nutrients. Once a perturbation function related to the change of ambient light is estimated, an output feedback control for the photobioreactor is proposed, in which through Lyapunov’s convergence functions, the final boundary stability conditions are obtained. Thus, a turbidity sensor was designed for Spirulina platensis, a native microalgae of Culiacan River, which is presented using the MATLAB-Arduino programming environment. This sensor is calibrated using biomass culture and is a low-cost device. Through the numerical study, the feasibility and performance of the control and the observer are evaluated. Finally, real-time experimental evaluations are made based on the literature, studying the use of robust controllers in a photobioreactor with a mixed culture, in the presence of environmental changes in lighting.