Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the
potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. It is one of the major causes of
human death, especially in developing countries. Alternative cancer treatments using
medicinal plants are exploited because plants produce phytochemical compounds,
which are secondary metabolites used for natural defence but could also be useful in
inhibiting cancer growth. Medicinal plants also have limited side effects and toxicity as
compared to conventional chemotherapy and irradiation treatments. Hence there is a
need to develop novel drugs from other sources like plants, fungi, and algae. Spirulina
is a blue-green alga with three species: Spirulina platensis, Spirulina fusiformis, and
Spirulina maxima. Spirulina platensis and Spirulina maxima are consumable by
humans in the form of dietary supplements, as they are enriched with important
nutrients and a library of phytochemicals that can improve immunity and levels of
blood lipids, lower blood sugar and blood pressure, and prevent oxidation. These
activities of Spirulina phytochemicals make them a good candidate for anticancer
therapy. Therefore, this chapter describes the botanical classification, phytochemical
composition, and anticancer characteristics of Spirulina and with a specific focus on
Spirulina platensis.
Keywords: Anticancer, Alternative, Blue-green algae, Cancer, Chemotherapy, Chemical library, Dietary supplement, Fungi, Fatty acids, Medicinal, Oxidation, Phytochemicals, Spirulina platensis, Spirulina fusiformis, Spirulina maxima, Toxicity.
