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

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