Abstract
Algae, which live in marine or freshwater, are photosynthetic organisms. They vary greatly in size, morphology, and degree of complexity of their body structures. Algae are generally divided into two main groups, microalgae, which are small in size, and macroalgae, which are larger in size. These aquatic organisms have rich and valuable compounds including sterols, polysaccharides, pigments, fatty acids, proteins, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins that could be used in different application fields due to their bioactive functions. In recent years, algae and their components have attracted interest in biomedicine and health applications as their bioactive components could show antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antiangiogenic, antidiabetic, antiobesity, immunostimulatory, vaccine adjuvant, and hypolipidemic activities. In this chapter, these activities and bioactive components underlying these properties are reviewed.
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Abbreviations
- ABTS:
-
2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid
- AIDS:
-
acquired immune deficiency syndrome
- ASFV:
-
African swine fever virus
- CO2:
-
carbon dioxide
- COVID:
-
coronavirus disease
- DHA:
-
docosahexaenoic acid
- DNA:
-
deoxyribonucleic acid
- DPPH:
-
2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl
- EPA:
-
eicosapentaenoic acid
- FAO:
-
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- FDA:
-
Food and Drug Administration
- Flu-A:
-
influenza A virus
- FRAP:
-
ferric reducing antioxidant power
- GRAS:
-
generally recognized as safe
- HBV:
-
hepatitis B virus
- HDL:
-
high-density lipoproteins
- HIV:
-
human immunodeficiency virus
- HPV:
-
human papillomavirus
- HRV:
-
human rhinovirus
- HSV:
-
herpes simplex virus
- HUVEC:
-
human umbilical vein endothelial cells
- IGF-1:
-
insulin-like growth factor 1
- IL-12:
-
interleukin-12
- LPS:
-
lipopolysaccharide
- MTT:
-
3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide
- NO:
-
nitric oxide
- ORAC:
-
oxygen radical absorbance capacity
- PAF:
-
plasminogen-activating factor
- PUFAs:
-
polyunsaturated fatty acids
- RNA:
-
ribonucleic acid
- TEAC:
-
trolox equivalence antioxidant capacity
- Th1:
-
type 1 T helper
- TNF-α:
-
tumor necrosis factor-α
- TPC:
-
total phenolics content
- TRAP:
-
total radical-trap** antioxidant potential
- UNU:
-
United Nations University
- UV:
-
ultraviolet
- VEGF:
-
vascular endothelial growth factor
- VHSV:
-
hemorrhagic septicemia virus
- VSV:
-
vesicular stomatitis virus
- WHO:
-
World Health Organization
- ω-3:
-
omega-3
- ω-6:
-
omega-6
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Inam, A., Oncu-Oner, T., Deniz, I. (2024). Algae in Biomedicine. In: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/5584_2024_795
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