Effect of Environmental Factors on Biomass and Insulin Production in the Cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis SPKY1

Arthrospira platensis (A. platensis) is a potential as a bio factory for producing therapeutic proteins, and reported the presence of insulin-like peptides in this species. This study aimed to assess the impact of environmental parameters on biomass accumulation and insulin production in A. platensis SPKY1 under outdoor conditions. The A. platensis SPKY1 strain was cultivated in Ennore, Chennai, India from September 2024 to March 2025. Temperature, light intensity, pH, and biomass were monitored every five days throughout each 20-day growth cycle. Biomass was measured gravimetrically, and insulin content was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Regression-based time-series and mediation analyses identified key relationships, while an ARIMA model forecasted insulin trends for April–August 2025. Biomass increased from 1.6 to 2.9 g L⁻¹, corresponding to favorable irradiance (228–407 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹), pH (9.4–10.5), and temperature (30.3–38.1 °C). Insulin content rose from 22.6 ± 0.3 to 43.8 ± 0.2 µg g⁻¹, showing a strong correlation with biomass (R² = 0.944). Biomass mediated environmental effects on insulin, and forecasting predicted a peak yield of 62.7 ± 0.6 µg g⁻¹ in May. Optimizing environmental conditions enhances insulin biosynthesis in A. platensis SPKY1, highlighting its potential for scalable outdoor production at Ennore, Chennai, India.

KEYWORDS: Arthrospira, platensis SPKY1, Diabetes, Insulin, Antidiabetic, Anti-glycemic