Highly biocompatible rGO-TiO2 nanomaterials effectively enhance the
phycocyanin yield of Arthrospira platensis FACHB-314 under visible light
conditions
Abstract
Human health is burdened by diverse range diseases, particularly chronic
diseases. Free radicals and other oxidants are implicated in development
of those diseases as free radicals induced oxidative stress. The
antioxidants are salient substances that involve maintaining a normal
long life by scavenging the free radicals in the body. Phycocyanin is
free radicals’ scavenger with ability to find and tackle the side
effects of free radicals; the phycocyanin also possesses other
physiological and pharmaceutical properties. This research aimed at
evaluating the effectiveness of TiO2 nanoparticles, and reduced graphene
oxide titanium dioxide nanoparticles (herein after referred to rGO-TiO2
nanoparticles) under visible light conditions to boost the accumulation
of phycocyanin in Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis (FACHB-314) cells.
The experimental results indicated that the both nanoparticles exhibited
high phycocyanin content accumulation compared to the control group.
Under optimized visible light conditions of 165 μmol/m2/s wavelength and
continuous lighting with white lights, the phycocyanin content of 80.3
mg/g and maximum yield of phycocyanin production were 97.16 mg/L in the
rGO-TiO2 nanoparticles culture; 55.7 mg/g and 81.88 mg/L in the TiO2
nanoparticles culture, compared to 75.5 mg/g and 81.86 in the control
culture. The maximum dry weight biomass cells were observed under the
control group compared the experimental conditions. These research
results indicate that rGO-TiO2 nanoparticles have potential commercial
applications due to the excellent properties, and can be used in A.
platensis and other microalgae cultivation to optimize productivity.