Preparation and evaluation of antioxidant activity of Spirulina platensis extraction: Potential application in cancer prevention and treatment

Spirulina platensis, a type of blue-green algae, is renowned for its bioactive compounds that act as antioxidants. These compounds have been found to mitigate or prevent oxidative stress caused by free radicals, which are implicated in the development of cancer. In this study, we prepared aqueous, hexane, and alcohol extracts of Spirulina platensis and assessed their antioxidant activity using the DPPH method. Additionally, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to recognize the chemical components of the Spirulina extractions. The results indicated that the alcoholic extraction showed higher antioxidant activity (49.9%) compared to the aqueous (34.2%) and hexane (11.1%) extractions. The study's findings suggest that extracts of Spirulina platensis contain a significant amount of bioactive compounds, which may contribute to its strong anticancer and antioxidant properties. These findings suggest the potential for developing new anticancer agents derived from blue-green algae.