Submit Manuscript

International Journal of Pharmacology

Year: 2016 | Volume: 12 | Issue: 1 | Page No.: 36-51
Facebook Twitter Digg Reddit Linkedin StumbleUpon E-mail

Article Trend

Total views 2077

Search

Authors

Mayada Ragab Farag

Mahmoud Alagawany

Mahmoud Alagawany

Mohamed Ezzat Abd El-Hack

Mohamed Ezzat Abd El-Hack

Kuldeep Dhama

Kuldeep Dhama

Keywords

Spirulina (Arthrospira) is a microscopic blue-green algae and it is considered as one of the richest sources of organic nutrients that are making it a good nutritional supplement for human and animal feed worldwide. Spirulina contains good quality proteins, vitamins and minerals in addition to a wide variety of natural carotene and xanthophyll phytopigments. Owing to its unique and impressive nutrient composition, Spirulina is used as a dietary inclusion in a large scale of food products not only to enhance their nutritional qualities but also for therapeutic purposes. On this aspect, many researchers studied the beneficial effects of Spirulina and reported its enhancing potential on the productive and reproductive performance, improving general health as well as lowering the problems of different animal diseases like arthritis, diabetes, anaemia, hypertension and cardiovascular disorders. Other studies have demonstrated that Spirulina possess some promising biological activities such as antitumor, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolemic, radio protective and metalloprotective effects. These pharmaceutical and medicinal properties of Spirulina could be attributed to some natural constituents such as phycocyanin, carotene, tocopherols, linolenic acid and phenolic compounds that had been shown to have strong antioxidant properties and powerful scavenging activities against Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) like superoxide and hydrogen peroxide radicals. This review illustrates the beneficial effects of Arthrospira on poultry, animals and human health and throws the light on its ability to protect the body physiological system against oxidative damage and as nutraceutical and source of potential pharmaceuticals based mainly on the highest levels of evidence available in the literature.
PDF Fulltext XML References Citation

Related Articles

Effect of Spirulina and Vitamin E on Reproduction and in vitro Embryo Production in Heat-stressed Rabbits
Over Production of Phycocyanin Pigment in Blue Green Alga Spirulina sp. and It`s Inhibitory Effect on Growth of Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma Cells
Multiple Beneficial Applications and Modes of Action of Herbs in Poultry Health and Production-A Review
Immunomodulatory and Protective Effects of a Polyherbal Formulation (Immon) Against Infectious Anemia Virus Infection in Broiler
Immunomodulatory and Therapeutic Potentials of Herbal, Traditional/Indigenous and Ethnoveterinary Medicines
Phytonutrients and Nutraceuticals in Vegetables and Their Multi-dimensional Medicinal and Health Benefits for Humans and Their Companion Animals: A Review

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *