UNLABELLED HIV-infected patients develop abnormalities of glucose metabolism due to the virus and antiretroviral drugs. Spirulina and soybean are nutritional supplements that are cheap, accessible in our community and affect glucose metabolism. We carried out a randomized study to assess the effect of Spirulina platensis versus soybean as a food supplement on HIV/HAART-associated insulin resist...

The paper aims at verifying the influence of supplemented spirulina on the form of erythrocytes and the content of hemoglobin of anaemic ICR male rats that have done exercises. The method adopted: scanning electronic microscope and full automated hematology analyzer are used to studying the influence of supplementing spirulina on the form of erythrocytes and the content of hemoglobin of rats. R...

Zeaxanthin is a predominant xanthophyll in human eyes and may reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Spirulina is an algal food that contains a high concentration of zeaxanthin. In order to determine the zeaxanthin bioavailability of spirulina for dietary supplementation in humans, spirulina was grown in nutrient solution with ²H₂O for carotenoid labelling. Single se...

Spirulina is an alga rich in high-quality protein and carotenoids. It is unclear whether spirulina can improve the total-body vitamin A stores of school-age children in China with a high prevalence of vitamin A malnutrition. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of spirulina in improving the total-body vitamin A stores of school-age children in rural areas of China when they consumed spirulina in t...

In the present study, we investigated antibody productions of IgA and other classes, such as IgE and IgG1, in mice as possible evidence of the protective effects of Spirulina toward food allergy and microbial infection. An increase of IgE antibody level in the serum was observed in the mice that were orally immunized with crude shrimp extract as an antigen (Ag group). The antibody level, howeve...

Nutritional approaches to the treatment of aging and neurodegenerative diseases have been shown to have potential benefits. Fruits or vegetables provide a cocktail of phytochemicals with multiple actions. Spirulina, a blue green alga used for thousands of years as a food source by the Aztecs, is known to contain large amounts of β-carotene and several phycocyanins with potent antioxidant and an...

Spirulina platensis is one of the most potential sources of natural nutrition. The present study was aimed to optimize the parameters like nitrogen sources, pH, temperature and light intensity for increasing the production of Spirulina platensis biomass (dry weight), protein, lipid and chlorophyll-a in seawater medium. The production of Spirulina platensis was optimized in terms of biomass and ...

Spirulina (Athrospira sp.) is an edible microalga and a highly nutritious potential feed resource for many agriculturally important animal species. Research findings have associated Spirulina to improvements in animal growth, fertility, aesthetic and nutritional product quality. Spirulina intake has also been linked to an improvement in animal health and welfare. Its influence over animal devel...

Aging predisposes to hepatic dysfunction and inflammation that can contribute to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Spirulina, a cyanobacterium used as a food additive or food supplement, has been shown to impact immune function. We have tested the potential hepatoprotective effect of a Spirulina in aged mice and to determine whether these effects can be related to a modulati...