Biliproteins found in plants and algae serve as a system of pigments whose purpose is to detect and absorb light needed for photosynthesis.  The absorption spectra of biliproteins complements that of other photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll or carotene.  The pigments detect and absorb energy from sunlight; the energy later being transferred to chlorophyll via internal energy transfer. According to a 2002 article written by Takashi Hirata et al., the chromophores of certain phycobiliproteins are responsible for antioxidant activities in these biliproteins, and phycocyanin also possesses anti-inflammatory qualities due to its inhibitory apoprotein. When induced by both collagen and adenosine triphosphate (ADP), the chromophore phycocyanobilin suppresses platelet aggregation in phycocyanin, its corresponding phycobiliprotein.