''Auxenochlorella pyrenoidosa'', formerly ''Chlorella pyrenoidosa'', is a species of the freshwater

green alga The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/ Streptophyta. The land plants ( Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alg ...

in the Division

Chlorophyta Chlorophyta or Prasinophyta is a taxon of green algae informally called chlorophytes. The name is used in two very different senses, so care is needed to determine the use by a particular author. In older classification systems, it refers to a ...

. It occurs worldwide. The species name ''pyrenoidosa'' refers to the presence of a prominent

pyrenoid Pyrenoids are sub-cellular micro-compartments found in chloroplasts of many algae,Giordano, M., Beardall, J., & Raven, J. A. (2005). CO2 concentrating mechanisms in algae: mechanisms, environmental modulation, and evolution. Annu. Rev. Plant Bio ...

within the ''Chlorella'' chloroplast.

Uses

''Auxenochlorella pyrenoidosa'' has been used medicinally as a chelatory agent, for example to extract

dioxins and dioxin-like compounds Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) are a group of chemical compounds that are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environmental pollutant, environment. They are mostly by-products of burning or various industrial processes - or, in ca ...

from the body. Possible medicinal uses include: *

fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia (FM) is a medical condition defined by the presence of chronic widespread pain, fatigue, waking unrefreshed, cognitive symptoms, lower abdominal pain or cramps, and depression. Other symptoms include insomnia and a general hype ...

* hypertension *

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood ( hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, an ...

The ''pyrenoidosa'' species have been used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logica ...

. Boraas (1983) reported a mutation in a population of Chlorella pyrenoidosa kept in his lab as a food stock for a population of flagellates. Due to a malfunction of his equipment some of the flagellates got in the Chlorella's tank. This caused a mutation from unicellular to multicellular. For early work in this area, a science project by David and John Watkins at Fairborn High School tested use of chlorella pyrenoidosa to support generation of oxygen for use in space missions. This was reported in the January 31, 1959 edition of the Fairborn Daily Herald and the project went on to win a top ranking at the Ohio State science fair in Columbus Ohio that year. The brothers were 14 and 13 years old at the time and based part of their work on information from the Kettering Foundation. This algae was used in a 1961 study by

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to see about feasibility for the use of algae providing

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as we ...

on space missions.

References

* *Boraas, M. E. 1983. Predator induced evolution in chemostat culture. EOS. Transactions of the American Geophysical Union. 64:1102. Plants described in 1903 pyrenoidosa {{green algae-stub