What is Phycocyanin (Spirulina Blue, Blue Spirulina, Phycocyanin Powder, Spirulina Extract)?
Phycocyanin (also called Spirulina Blue, Blue Spirulina, Phycocyanin Powder, Spirulina Extract) is a pigment-protein complex from the light-harvesting phycobiliprotein family, along with allo-phycocyanin and phycoerythrin. It is an accessory pigment to chlorophyll. Phycocyanin is a natural, water soluble and non-toxic food pigment extracted and processed from Spirulina platensis. It is a characteristic bright blue color, absorbing orange and red light, particularly near 620nm, and emits fluorescence at about 650nm.
Phycocyanin (Spirulina Blue, Blue Spirulina, Phycocyanin Powder, Spirulina Extract) is one of the rare pigment proteins in nature, not only has vivid color, but also is a nutrient-rich protein, which has a complete amino acids composition and a high content of essential amino acids. Phycocyanin has the physiological activities of anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, improving immunity and scavenging free radicals. In the early 21st century, phycocyanin was widely used as food and cosmetics senior natural pigment, and made into biochemical drugs in United States, Japan and other countries. Because of the strong fluorescence characteristics, Phycocyanin also can be prepared as a fluorescent probe for the photodynamic researches of biology and cytology.
Phycocyanin (Spirulina Blue, Blue Spirulina, Phycocyanin Powder, Spirulina Extract) Specification:
E3, E6, E18, E25, E40 or as per customer's requirement
Functional Activity of Phycocyanin (Spirulina Blue, Blue Spirulina, Phycocyanin Powder, Spirulina Extract):
Anti-cancer/Anti-tumor effect
Phycocyanin can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, and has a direct killing effect on tumor cells. Bing Li et al. found that phycocyanin can promote the expression of CD59 protein in Hela cells, hold back Hela cells' reproductions, and moreover, a dosage effect was found between them.
Anti-inflammatory property
Phycocyanin can eliminate free radicals, such as peroxo, alkyl and hydroxyl, and thus have anti-inflammatory activity. Studies by Romay et al. showed that phycocyanin exhibits anti-inflammatory effects in 12 inflammatory models.
Antioxidation
Natural phycocyanin has the antioxidant activity of scavenging hydroxyl radical and hydroperoxide radical, thereby protects the body from various damages, which has been reported by Vadiraja B.Bhat, 2000.
Immunity regulation effect
Phycocyanin can effectively improve the body's ability to produce antibodies, enhance immune function, and improve the body's resistance to disease. Osamu Hayashi indicated that Phycocyanin affects immune functions by promoting immune competent-cell proliferation or differentiation in lymphoid organs.
Liver activity
Phycocyanin provides protection to liver enzymes, it protects liver from chemical-induced injury. Bhat et al. studied the hepatoprotective effect of c-phycocyanin for CCL4 and R-(+)-pulegone-mediated hepatotoxicty in rats, and showed that phycocyanin can significantly reduce the hepatotoxicity caused by a large number of free radicals produced by those compounds.
Protect nerve tissue
Phycocyanin can protect nerve tissue by reducing the free radicals' damage to neurons. Rimbau et al. found that phycocyanin can reduce kainic acid-induced neuuronal damage in rat hippocampus, and suggested that phycocyanin can be used to treat oxidative stress-induced neuronal injury in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
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