Spirulina platensis: Unveiling phenotypic plasticity impact on its metabolic profile and bioactivity via chemometric analysis

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 1-1-2025

Abstract

Spirulina platensis, a blue-green microalgae, is commonly cultivated for its nutritional benefits. it exhibits remarkable phenotypic plasticity. This study investigated the impact of environmental factors on the morphological features, phytochemical constituents, and bioactivity of two spirulina strains, SP1 and SPM2, cultivated under different climates in Egypt: Bilbeis (Nile Delta) and Alexandria (North Coast), respectively. Despite sharing 95% similarity in genetic profile using ISSR-PCR, these strains manifested distinct microscopic variations. Their phytochemical profiles, analyzed using HPLC-PDA, revealed high amino acids and carotenoid content. Moreover, comprehensive metabolic profiling for both strains via UPLC-ESI-MS/MS exhibited substantial similarities and differences in their chemical profiles. The in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities characterized this functional biochemical variation, where SP1 was superior to SPM2. Further, a positive correlation exists between the detected bioactive metabolites and the observed biological activities. Such findings underscore the substantial impact of environmental determinants on spirulina bioactivity, regardless of its genotype. Also, it highlights the selection strategies to optimize the health-promoting potential of spirulina for functional food applications. Notably, it is the first approach to compare metabolic profiling for both strains cultivated in different climates correlated to their biological activity via chemometric analysis.

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