Extracts from Chlorella vulgaris Protect Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Oxidative Stress Induced by Hydrogen Peroxide
Open accessAbstract
Microalgae as unicellular eukaryotic organisms demonstrate several advantages for biotechnological and biological applications. Natural derived microalgae products demand has increased in food, cosmetic and nutraceutical applications lately. The natural antioxidants have been used for attenuation of mitochondrial cell damage caused by oxidative stress. This study evaluates the in vitro protective effect of Chlorella vulgaris bioactive extracts against oxidative stress in human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs). The classical solid-liquid and the supercritical extraction, using biomass of commercially available and laboratory cultivated C. vulgaris, are employed. Oxidative stress induced by 300 μM H2O2 reduces cell viability of MSCs. The addition of C. vulgaris extracts, with increased protein content compared to carbohydrates, to H2O2 treated MSCs counteracted the oxidative stress, reducing reactive oxygen species levels without affecting MSC proliferation. The supercritical extraction was the most efficient extraction method for carotenoids resulting in enhanced antioxidant activity. Pre-treatment of MSCs with C. vulgaris extracts mitigates the oxidative damage ensued by H2O2. Initial proteomic analysis of secretome from licensed (TNFα-activated) MSCs treated with algal extracts reveals a signature of differentially regulated proteins that fall into clinically relevant pathways such as inflammatory signaling. The enhanced antioxidative and possibly anti-inflammatory capacity could be explored in the context of future cell therapies.
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C. vulgaris extracts protect human mesenchymal stromal cells from hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage, reducing ROS and enhancing intracellular glutathione levels, without compromising cell viability.
“C. vulgaris extracts have been shown to protect human mesenchymal stromal cells from hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage, reducing ROS and enhancing intracellular glutathione levels, all without compromising cell viability [65].”
From Microalgae Bioactives for Functional Food Innovation and Health Promotion (2025) · cites this paper as [65]
Results §2.4 reports that pretreatment with C. vulgaris extracts attenuated H2O2-induced ROS in MSCs, and Results §2.3 reports no significant decrease in proliferation with the tested extract dilutions. The Introduction mentions glutathione as an antioxidant found in microalgae-derived compounds, but the paper does not report that the extracts enhanced intracellular glutathione levels. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cholesterol-lowering and antioxidant effects of C. vulgaris are attributed to synergistic interactions between its carotenoids, chlorophylls, and dietary fibres.
“These effects were attributed to synergistic interactions between its carotenoids, chlorophylls, and dietary fibres [65].”
From Microalgae Bioactives for Functional Food Innovation and Health Promotion (2025) · cites this paper as [65]
The Results (§2.2; page not provided) report antioxidant activity in C. vulgaris extracts and measure their carotenoid and chlorophyll content. The copy does not attribute that activity to synergy among carotenoids, chlorophylls, and dietary fibres, or report a cholesterol-lowering effect. The Discussion (§3) instead suggests that differences in ROS reduction may relate to phenolic levels. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn hyperlipidaemic individuals, C. vulgaris supplementation reduces total and LDL cholesterol and improves antioxidant status through elevated SOD and CAT activity.
“In hyperlipidaemic individuals, C. vulgaris supplementation reduced the total and LDL cholesterol while simultaneously improving the antioxidant status through the elevated activity of SOD and CAT.”
From Microalgae Bioactives for Functional Food Innovation and Health Promotion (2025) · cites this paper as [65]
The Results (§2.2; page unavailable) measure antioxidant activity of C. vulgaris extracts, and the Conclusions (§5; page unavailable) report reduced oxidative stress in mesenchymal stromal cells. Searches for hyperlipidaemia, total and LDL cholesterol, SOD, and CAT found no passage about supplementation in people or those outcomes. (LLM, conf=0.74)
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Microalgae Bioactives for Functional Food Innovation and Health Promotion
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“For instance, C. vulgaris extracts have been shown to protect human mesenchymal stromal cells from hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage, reducing ROS and enhancing intracellular glutathione levels, all without compromising cell viability [65].”
- Authors
- Savvidou, M. G., Georgiopoulou, I., Antoniou, N., Tzima, S., Kontou, M., Louli, V., Fatouros, C., Magoulas, K., & Kolisis, F. N.
- Affiliations
- National Technical University of Athens (GR)
- TheraCell Advanced Biotechnologies, 14564 Kifisia, Greece
- Laboratory of Thermodynamics and Transport Phenomena, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Str., Zografou Campus, 15780 Athens, Greece
- Corresponding author
- Savvidou, Maria G.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Plants
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2023-01-12
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 361
- ISSN
- 2223-7747 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9866266
- OpenAlex
- W4315702360
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 3
- FWCI
- 4.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Plants (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DSpace - NTUA (National Technical University of Athens) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)
- Funders
- European Regional Development Fund of the European Union (BIONAMA T1EDK-04223)
- Greek National Funds (BIONAMA T1EDK-04223)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Genetics › Mesenchymal stem cell research
- Keywords
- Chlorella vulgaris, mesenchymal stem cells, oxidative stress, hydrogen peroxide, microalgae extracts, supercritical fluid extraction, carotenoids, antioxidant activity, reactive oxygen species, secretome, anti-inflammatory activity, cell therapy
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