Poly-unsaturated Fatty Acid, Biodiesel Property and Anticancer Activity Analysis of Monoraphidium griffithii
V. Vinitha
Department of Animal Biotechnology, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, India.
S. Meignanalakshmi *
Department of Animal Biotechnology, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, India.
K. G. Tirumurugaan
TRPVB, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, India.
Ghadevaru Sarathchandra
PLAFFS, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, India.
S. Meenakshi Sundaram
Livestock Farm Complex, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: The aim of the study was to isolate and characterize freshwater microalgae from Puzhal lake, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and to analyze its biochemical composition, poly-unsaturated fatty acid content, anticancer activity, cytotoxicity, and biodiesel properties.
Methodology: Pure isolate obtained from freshwater was characterised biochemically and identified by ITS-2 RNA sequence as Monoraphidium griffithii. The microalgal culture was maintained under white light illumination for a photoperiod of 16:8 light/dark hours respectively. The saturated and poly-unsaturated fatty acid profiling was performed in a Gas Chromatography-Flame ionization detector and the biodiesel properties were analyzed through BiodieselAnalyzer© Ver. 2.2 software. The anti-cancer and cytotoxicity studies were performed using the human lung cancer cell line (A549) and Vero cell line at 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 µg biomass/ml concentration.
Results: The biochemical composition was determined to be 32.97%±1.648 protein, 15.36%±2.857 carbohydrate, 15.89%±1.407 lipid, 26.27±1.48 µg/mg chlorophyll a+b and 8.03±1.92 µg/mg carotenoid. The fatty acid profiling revealed the presence of 19 different fatty acids of which Palmitic acid was 18.08%, cis-10 heptadecanoic acid was 17.37%, alpha-linolenic acid was 2.05%, and docosahexaenoic acid was 1.27%. The biodiesel properties were within the American standard for testing materials (ASTM) limits. 46.5% cell viability was attained at a microalgal concentration of 80 µg/ml against the human lung cancer cell line (A549) and the cell viability was 77.87% even at the high concentration of 100 µg/ml against the Vero cell line.
Conclusion: The isolated microalgae Monoraphidium griffithii can be used for the production of biodiesel. The presence of alpha-linolenic and docosahexaenoic acid and anticancer activity makes them a source for human and animal nutrition.
Keywords: Biodiesel, microalgae, anti-cancer activity, cytotoxicity, FAME