EXPLORING THE BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE METABOLITES OF ISOCHRYSIS GALBANA IN PHARMACEUTICAL INTEREST: AN OVERVIEW

Microalgae biomass has been recognized to have great potential as a source of novel bioactive compounds with industrial as well as health promoting applications in human, animal and aquatic lives. Microalgae have been gaining attention continuously due to its bioactive compounds. These bioactive compounds are primary and secondary metabolites produced by microalgae in order to adopt adverse environmental conditions. The simple growth requirement, higher mass productivity in short harvesting time making microalgae  promising over other natural source of bioactive compounds. Several species of microalgae have undergone various screenings to identify and tap into these valuable resources, among them are the Isochrysis galbana, a brown microalgae belonging the class haptophyta. It is widely used as a feed for marine organism in aquaculture because of its high lipid content. Recently it is found Isochrysis galbana also exhibited the potential of being a source of high-value compounds with distinct biological activities including antitumor, antibacterial, antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory and hypochloesteromic. These activities have a wide range of applications in various industries that have not been broadly explored and fully exploited. The aim of this review paper is to update previous researches on the biological activity of Isochrysis galbana and to explore it as a pharmaceutical agent.