Vegetos

Abstract

Spirulina is in the vanguard of emerging nutritional supplements which have myriad of therapeutic benefits due to its rich macro-and micronutrient diversity. This makes Spirulina an ideal candidate in myriad organ disorder including metabolic disorder and metabolic disturbance. One of the niche areas for its applied role has been in liver disorders and hepatic toxicity. Hypolipidemic and hypocholesterolemic effects of Spirulina play a crucial role in mitigating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Various animal and human studies have further shown that use of Spirulina has supportive role in hepatic injury induced by well known hepatic toxins like carbon tetrachloride, drugs like paracetamol, antitubercular drugs and chemotherapeutic agents like cisplatin. Addition of Spirulina in the therapeutic management of chronic liver infection due to hepatitis C infection has an incremental benefit in lowering the raised liver enzymes. Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and membranestabilizing properties of Spirulina are believed to be effective in chronic liver disease. Data from human clinical trials and animal studies have shown that Spirulina is safe for human consumption though few adverse effects reported in literature are possibly due to its contamination during culturing and extraction.