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The effects of solar radiation were especially powerful around 2.5 to 3.8 billion years ago — when blue-green algae were one of Earth’s only living inhabitants — and the protective atmospheric ozone levels were less than 1% of present levels. Without today’s protective "ozone shield," blue-green algae had to develop a host of powerful antioxidant pigments and protective agents, including carotenoids, and phycobilins. Today, all plants can trace their chloroplast genetic structure — their ability to photosynthesize — back to cyanobacteria. 136 However,while solar radiation in the visible region is critical for photosynthesis, UV radiation is present as well, and is damaging to life, especially to unprotected DNA close to the membrane’s surface. The amazing thing is how effective microalgal antioxidant pigment solutions have proven to be!
Regenerator and antioxidant
Chlorophyll is considered to be a cell regenerator because its central magnesium atom plays an important role in so many (325) different enzyme systems.
Also, as an antioxidant, chlorophyll may help to protect our DNA during cell division, a very vulnerable time in the life of any cell. Unfortunately, most of the published research on the regenerative properties of chlorophyll is found in older or foreign medical journals, which rely more upon natural therapies. 148-151
