Phycocyanin Extraction from Spirulina platensis and Its Antimalarial Activity In-Vitro

Phycocyanin is a pigment-protein complex from the light-harvesting phycobiliprotein family which is often found in cyanobacteria. The product phycocyanin produced by phanizomenon flos-aquae and Spirulina sp. The aim of this study were to determine the best solvents purification phycocanin from Spirulina platensis in three solvents, phosphate buffer, water and aceton ammonium sulphate and to evaluate the antimalarial activity in vitro of phycocyanin in the best solvent extraction from S. platensis. The method of this study was using in-vitro antimalarial method. The result showed C- phycocyanin (C-PC), yield, and protein contents of phycocyanin were 8 mg/mL, 20.22%, 1.88% extracted and purified by phosphate buffer, 6.63 mg/mL, 16.58 %, 3.51% extracted and purified by water, 2.86 mg/mL, 7.15%, 8.4% extracted and purified by acetone ammonium sulphate respectively. Phosphate buffer was the best solvent of phycocyanin extraction from S. platensis. Antimalarial activity in vitro of phycocyanin in hosphate buffer against Plasmodium falciparum strains 3D7 with IC50 was 158,489 μg/mL. The possible mechanism might be relied on the destruction of polymerization of Haemozoin by binding of C-PC with ferriprotoporphyrin-IX at the water surface of the plasma membrane.