Biocompatible Excipients from Microalgae: Advancing Protein and Peptide Therapeutics through Sustainable Formulation Strategies.

Abstract

As a distinctive and sustainable raw material for pharmaceutical excipients, microalgae have emerged as a significant source of biopolymer compounds with immense functional and medicinal value. The pharmacoeconomic importance of key biopolymer compounds isolated from microalgae, such as fucoidan, ulvan, laminarin, and paramylon, having mucoadhesive, bioactive, and controlled release properties that meet the standards of advanced drug delivery systems, has been discussed in this review. Due to the compact cultivation requirements of microalgae that fix significant quantities of carbon dioxide from the environment, biopolymer compounds play an important role in the development of ecologically sustainable production practices. Also critically evaluated in this investigation are the advantages and limitations of industrial-scale cultivation practices of microalgae, which include closed bioreactor cultivation and open-pond cultivation procedures, for biopolymer applications. This study also discusses industrial applications that currently hinder the application of biopolymer compounds of microalgae to the pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, the ability of such compounds to be applied in formulation science has been underscored by their multifaceted properties, from thickening, gelation, and film-forming to immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties. The increased adoption of safer and more ecofriendly alternatives by the pharmaceutical industry to replace synthetic excipients has been facilitated by such compounds' ability to either complement or replace them. In order to incorporate microalgae-derived excipients into future pharmaceutical formulations, research on such compounds has been underscored as needed.