Phycocyanin Extraction from Spirulina platensis and Its Antimalarial Activity In-Vitro

Abstract

Phycocyanin is a pigment-protein complex from the light-harvesting phycobiliprotein family which is
often found in cyanobacteria. The product phycocyanin produced by phanizomenon flos-aquae and Spirulina
sp. The aim of this study were to determine the best solvents purification phycocanin from Spirulina platensis
in three solvents, phosphate buffer, water and aceton ammonium sulphate and to evaluate the antimalarial
activity in vitro of phycocyanin in the best solvent extraction from S. platensis. The method of this study was
using in-vitro antimalarial method. The result showed C- phycocyanin (C-PC), yield, and protein contents
of phycocyanin were 8 mg/mL, 20.22%, 1.88% extracted and purified by phosphate buffer, 6.63 mg/mL,
16.58 %, 3.51% extracted and purified by water, 2.86 mg/mL, 7.15%, 8.4% extracted and purified by acetone
ammonium sulphate respectively. Phosphate buffer was the best solvent of phycocyanin extraction from S.
platensis. Antimalarial activity in vitro of phycocyanin in hosphate buffer against Plasmodium falciparum
strains 3D7 with IC50 was 158,489 μg/mL. The possible mechanism might be relied on the destruction of
polymerization of Haemozoin by binding of C-PC with ferriprotoporphyrin-IX at the water surface of the
plasma membrane.