Medical uses of algae - Research Paper Example

Their sexual organs are not found in protective coverings. In terms of physiology, they are basically autotrophic with all their materials from inorganic sources and photosynthetic producing complex carbon compounds from CO2 and light energy. Some algae are secondarily heterotrophic but retaining fundamental genetic affinities with their photosynthetic relatives. They include both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Algae both live and dead are being used by the humans. The fossil algal diatomite deposits in the shape of light but strong rocks are used as building materials and filtration media in water purification systems and swimming pools.

Some fossil algae like Botryococcus are sources oil-rich deposits. Some other species of green algae are grown for obtaining bio chemicals for applications in medicine and cosmetics. The nuisance blue-green algae have beneficial uses especially Spirulina which is used as dietary supplement. The blue-green algae are better known as fresh water nuisance organisms which form as dense blooms affecting human activities through toxins generated by them, by clogging water courses and affecting recreational activities (Bellinger and Sigee).

Alage has been described as organisms containing chlorophyll made up of one cell or grouped together in colonies or with many cells and at times joining together as simple tissues. Their sizes vary from unicellular of 3-10 um microns to giant kelps up to 70 mg long capable of growing 50 cm per day. They are found all over the earth in the sea, rivers, and lakes, also on soils and walls, in animal and plants (as symbionts-partners collaborating together) and it can just grow anywhere where light is available to conduct photosynthesis.

Thus, alage are heterogeneous and identified in two major types: microalgae and microalgae. Microalgae grow in bentheic and littoral habitats and also in the ocean waters as Phytoplankton that comprises species such as diatoms, (bacillariophyta), dinoflagellates (dinophyta), green and yellow-brown flagellates (Chlorophyta; prasino-phyta; prymnesiophyta; cryptophyta, chrysophyta and rhaphdiophyta) and blue-green algae (cyano-phyta) (Gamal 1). 2. Microalgae’s products and their biological activities Microalgal phyla provide chemical and pharmacological compounds besides bioactive compounds of marine resources back to compounds marine invertebrates which may vary from one compound to another but with a strong suggestion that dietary or symbiotic algae are one of the participants of these metabolites.

For example, the blue-green algae, Lyngbhya majuscula is the source of aplysiatoxin found in sea hares which feed on this alga. Likewise, highly active anti tumour compounds, dollastatins 1 & 2 extracted from sea slugs are of blue-green algal origin. Further, eukaryotic algae and dinoflagellates metabolites are seen in shellfish and other invertebrates as toxins. Furthermore, Brevotoxins 3, ciguatoxins and dinophysiotoxins are examples of paralytic shellfish toxins (Gamal 2) Cyanophyta (blue-green algae or cyanobacterial) The blue-green algae’s structures resemble structural features of bacteria.

They are classified because they contain