Antioxidant response mechanism of freshwater microalgae species to reactive oxygen species production: a mini review

ABSTRACT

Molecular oxygen is essential to freshwater microalgae but its metabolic by-product known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) is toxic at higher levels leading to oxidative stress. Freshwater microalgae are able to prevent the effect of ROS using antioxidant response mechanisms. This mini-review is aimed at providing the progress and prospects of the antioxidant response mechanisms exhibited by freshwater microalgae to counteract excess ROS. The mini-review shows that the production of ROS and antioxidant response mechanism varies across species of freshwater microalgae and is dependent on factors such as freshwater microalgae cell size, cell shape, cell density, growth stage and abiotic factors such as light, nutrient, and temperature. This study also shows that freshwater microalgae are able to prevent oxidative damage resulting from a higher level of ROS production by the production of antioxidants. This antioxidant can be harness as phytonutrients that can be used as a health-promoting compound for the prevention of the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. More studies need to be done to ascertain the bioactive compounds that make up the antioxidant system of freshwater microalgae against excess ROS production and how these bioactive compounds can be utilised.

KEYWORDS:

• Catalase
• phycocyanin
• peroxisome
• oxidative stress
• chlorophytes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Adamu Yunusa Ugya is a lecturer with the Department of Environmental Management, Kaduna State University, Nigeria. He is currently a PhD scholar with the College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University Changchun, China. His research interest is Ecology, Plant Sciences, and Biotechnology.

Tijjani Sabiu Imam is an Associate Professor with the Department of Biological Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria. His research interest is Environmental Biology and Ecology.

Anfeng Li is a PhD student scholar with the College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University Changchun, China. His research interest is environmental chemistry and biodegradation of organic pollutants.

Jincai Ma is an Associate Professor with the College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University Changchun, China. His research interest is f environmental microbiology.

Xiuyi Hua is a Professor with the College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University Changchun, China. His research interest is environmental chemistry and pollution control.

ORCID

Adamu Yunusa Ugya http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1490-4479

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province (20170101079JC) and Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Nigeria (PTDF/ED/PHD/APY/54/18).