Furthermore, when grown under industrial conditions under patent-protected systems, this species of microalgae is capable of accumulating the highest superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity found on the market, with more than 30,000 U/g dry weight.
SOD is the most powerful antioxidant against ROS, eliminating superoxide anions and thus protecting cellular components from oxidative damage. In addition to this role as a direct antioxidant, T. chuii has been shown to act as an indirect antioxidant both in in vitro and in vivo systems, inducing the cellular antioxidant mechanisms themselves, SOD, glutathione peroxidase and catalase both at the transcriptional level and in enzymatic activities.
These effects appear to be mediated by activation of the nuclear transcription factor Nrf2, which is known to control the expression of hundreds of genes that play a role in multiple cytoprotective pathways.
