Christian Morgan
Marine algae or seaweeds are autotrophic organisms that contain chlorophyll for oxygenic photosynthesis and live in marine or brackish water. These plants have a wide metabolic range and produce a variety of chemicals that can be exploited in medication research. Furthermore, they can be easily grown in bioreactors to produce large amounts of biomass and a variety of marine chemicals for medication development. Carotenoids obtained from marine seaweed and algae inhibit cancer cell multiplication and survival. Chlorella species can be used to extract lutein, β-carotene, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin, among other carotenoids. Carotenoids isolated from the green algae Chlorella ellipsoidea and C. vulgaris were found to inhibit the multiplication of human colon cancer cells in one investigation.