Bioactive Compounds of the Genus Spirulina Can Prevent the Progression of Neurological Diseases

Abstract

Multiple neurological diseases are becoming increasingly common, posing a major public health concern around the world. The multifactorial pathophysiology of this debilitating disease, as well as the diverse effects of active constituents of microalgal medicine, as well as the drawbacks and lack of clinical treatments, may advocate for the discovery of new natural compounds with strong neuroprotective potential for treatment. Spirulina is a free-floating filamentous microalga that belongs to the cyanobacteria class and contains a variety of bioactive colored components such as C-phycocyanin (C-Pc), carotenoids, and chlorophyll. Modern pharmacological and molecular docking studies have demonstrated that Spirulina has disease-modifying therapeutic effects against these disorders, including neuroprotection, protein aggregate clearance, and neuroinflammation regulation. The study’s goal is to determine the benefits of Spirulina and its active constituents in the treatment of various neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. This review summarizes evidence from in vitro, in vivo, and in silico research studies on neurological therapies focusing on the neuroprotective activities and molecular mechanisms of Spirulina and their active ingredients, with a focus on modulating various neurotransmitters and receptors, anti-inflammatory activities, anti-amyloid aggregation, and myelin sheath repair. The direct interaction between major active components of Spirulina sp. and orphan nuclear receptors, monoamine oxidase (MAO), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and pro-inflammatory proteins was modelled using molecular docking. This review’s findings support the use of Spirulina and its biologically active constituents as an alternative source of therapy for neurological diseases.