Spirulina C-phycocyanin: extraction, purification, stabilization, and inhibitory potential of key enzymes rRelated to pancreas inflammation, carbohydrate digestion, and glucose metabolism

Abstract

Abstract Background in recent years, it has become necessary to use natural food colorants to protect against different diseases and disorders. The present study aimed to purify, evaluate the stability, and investigate the effect of purified Spirulina C-Phycocyanin (CPC) on digestive and metabolic enzymes linked to hyperglycemia. Methods the purification of CPC was performed using column chromatography to isolate compounds and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography combined with diode array detector (DAD) and ultraviolet spectroscopy (DAD-HPLC-UV) and infrared Fourier transform (FTIR). Results the findings of this study indicate that CPC is stable at temperatures below 45°C and at a pH range of 5 to 7, as well as during storage at 4°C. In diabetic rats, the ingestion of CPC by diabetic rats suppressed key enzymes related to inflammation in pancreas, such as 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LO), hyaluronidase (HAase), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and NADPH oxidase (NOX2 activities) by 48, 41, 75, and 47%, respectively. Additionally, it reduced the pancreas thiobarbituric acid reactive substance rates (TBARS) by 59%, and stimulated the level of nitric oxide (NO) by approximately 164%. Moreover, CPC powerfully suppressed intestinal lipase, α-amylase, maltase, and sucrose activities, and significantly decreased glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Furthermore, CPC ingestion by diabetic rats suppressed glycogen phosphorylase (GP), stimulated Glycogen synthase (GS) activities, and regulated glycogen content in the liver of diabetic rats. In addition, CPC supplementation to diabetic rats modulated hepatic key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in the liver, such as hexokinase (HK), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), glucose-6-phosphatase (G6P), and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBP), as well as average food and water intake (AFI and AWI), resulting in a decrease in blood glucose level by 56% compared to untreated diabetic rats. Conclusion Overall, the results of this research showed that CPC can be used as a functional food coloring as well as a compound to prevent various pathologies such as ulcers, oxidative stress, inflammation and metabolic diseases.