Recovery of Chlorophyll a Derivative from Spirulina maxima: Its Purification and Photosensitizing Potential

  1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Publications

abstract

Spirulina sp. is a cyanobacterium rich in essential amino acids and pigments such as chlorophyll a, xanthophylls, and phycocyanin. Besides many other applications, chlorophyll a and its derivatives are being studied as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment. In this work, two methodologies of solid-liquid extraction were developed, and their performance compared; one using conventional organic solvents and the other using aqueous solutions of ionic liquids (ILs) and surfactants. It was found that an aqueous solution of an ammonium-based ionic liquid was able to increase the yield of extraction of chlorophyll a from Spirulina maxima in 25% compared with the conventional methodology using methanol. Besides, the proposed alternative methodology allows the separation of chlorophyll a from xanthophylls using a simple liquid-liquid extraction. The IL can be recovered by backextraction using ethyl acetate, while the chlorophyll derivative is shown to retain its ability to generate oxygen singlets, which is essential to its potential application as a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy.

keywords

PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY; IONIC LIQUIDS; AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS; EXTRACTION; PHEOPHORBIDE; CAROTENOIDS; PLATENSIS; MEMBRANES; GROWTH; CO2

subject category

Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; Green & Sustainable Science & Technology; Engineering, Chemical

authors

Martins, M; Albuquerque, CM; Pereira, CF; Coutinho, JAP; Neves, MGPMS; Pinto, DCGA; Faustino, MAF; Ventura, SPM

our authors

foto Carla Patrícia Fernandes Pereira

Carla Patrícia Fernandes Pereira

PhD Student
foto João Manuel Costa Araújo Pereira Coutinho

João Manuel Costa Araújo Pereira Coutinho

Director
foto Margarida Martins

Margarida Martins

PhD Student
foto Sónia Patrícia Marques Ventura

Sónia Patrícia Marques Ventura

Assistant Professor

Groups

4 - biorefineries, biobased materials and recycling

Projects

CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020)

CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDP/50011/2020)

acknowledgements

This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020, financed by the national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTES. Thanks are also due to the University of Aveiro and FCT/MCT for the financial support of LAQVREQUIMTE (UIDB/50006/2020). The authors also thank FCT for the project PTDC/BTA-BTA/30914/2017 and the doctoral grant SFRH/BD/122220/2016 of M. Martins.

Share this project:

Related Publications

Publication Details

type
Journal Article
year
2021
journal
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
volume
9
publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
issn
2168-0485
issue
4
digital object identifier
10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c07880
web of science article identifier
WOS:000617925200033

Journal Metrics (JCR 2019)

Journal Impact Factor
7.632
Journal Impact Factor (5 yrs)
7.741
category normalized journal percentile
90.792

Citations

Social Interaction

We use cookies for marketing activities and to offer you a better experience. By clicking “Accept Cookies” you agree with our cookie policy. Read about how we use cookies by clicking "Privacy and Cookie Policy".


Privacy and Cookie Policy

Personal data

CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials respects your privacy, ensuring confidentiality of personal data you share with the institution through this way, not collecting any personal information about you without your consent, under the terms required by General Data Protection Regulations (RGPD).

The data collected in forms are intended exclusively for processing user requests and will not be used for any other purpose, always safeguarding their confidentiality, under the terms of the protection conferred by the aforementioned regulation.

The collection and processing of data is the responsibility of CICECO and its storage is properly protected, only authorized CICECO employees can access the information within the scope of their functions, always being clear in the respective collection forms the purposes for which they are intended. The remaining issues to be considered in this matter will be handled by the University of Aveiro in accordance with the regime established by the GDPR.

Cookies policy

Cookies are small files with alphanumeric information that are stored on your computer's hard drive by your browser and are intended to improve the user experience and enhance website navigation.

Collection and use of technical information

The cookies used on CICECO are anonymous, and no information about our users that allows their personal identification is stored in them.

The technical information recorded consists of:

  • iP (Internet Protocol) address of the visitor;
  • the type of internet browser used by the website visitor and the respective operating system used;
  • the date and time of the consultation;
  • the pages visited on the site and the documents downloaded
  • The technical information collected is used for statistical purposes only.

Cookies used

Session cookies

These cookies are used to record user preferences, such as the language in which websites are displayed or to maintain authenticated user sessions, and are automatically deleted when the browser is closed.

Persistent cookies

These cookies store information that is needed between sessions. For example, a persistent cookie is set to record that you have been made aware of the cookie policy so that the message regarding this policy is not shown again the next time you visit the website. This cookie remains on the computer until it reaches its expiry date or is deleted by the user.

Data protection

The present privacy policy covers the Information System of the University of Aveiro (SIUA), governed by the General Data Protection Regulations (RGPD) Regulation (EU) No. 2016/679, of April 27th, 2016.

Data Protection Officer

The University of Aveiro has a Data Protection Officer (DPO), who ensures compliance of the processing of personal data with the legislation in force, and is available through the following email address epd@ua.pt.

Close