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Macroalgae have been seen as an alternative source of molecules with promising bioactivities to use in the prevention and treatment of current lifestyle diseases. In this vein, the lipophilic fraction of short-term (three weeks) cultivated Bifurcaria bifurcata was characterized in detail by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). B. bifurcata...
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Seaweeds (Marine macroalgae) area large group of marine organisms containing important phytochemical constituents with various biologicalactivities .They are potentially prolific sources of highly bioactivese condary metabolites, which manifest many of the rapeutic effects like anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activiti...
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... 105 Like phytol, neophytadiene is a diterpene with known antibacterial 33 and antioxidant activity. 106 Bhardwaj et al. 11 also found that neophytadiene extracted from the brown macroalga Turbinaria ornata significantly inhibited the production of nitric oxide and inflammatory cytokines in in vivo and in vitro experiments. ...
Seaweeds have been explored by humans for thousands of years as a source of chemical compounds. This study describes the content of minerals, ash, carbohydrates, protein, lipids, and main metabolites of dichloromethane / methanol extracts of the seaweed Ulva lactuca, Padina gymnospora, Palisada perforata and Gelidiella acerosa from sandstone reefs on the Brazilian tropical coast (Pernambuco, Northeastern of Brazil). The content (% dry weight) of carbohydrates ranged from 14.35-48.52, proteins 7.49-14.98, total lipids 0.40-8.92, and ash 18.51-37.02. The concentration (mg kg dry algae-6-6.4) were maximum in Palisada and minimum in Padina. In turn, the lowest and highest contents (mg kg dry algae-1) of Fe (100-2312), Zn (18-43), and Cr (0.08-0.93) were recorded in Gelidiella and Ulva, respectively. Neophytadiene was the major compound. Phytol and palmitic acid were found in all seaweeds, although in low quantities. Palisada had the highest contents (% dry weight) of metabolites (neophytadiene: 23.89, phytol: 8.29; palmitic acid: 8.32), while Ulva had the lowest, except phytone, which was present only in this species. Our findings highlight the potential of these macroalgae from the coastal reefs as a source of chemical compounds.
... The antimicrobial activity of BB extract was studied previously. The dichloromethane extracts corresponding to the lipidic fraction rich in sterols, namely, fucosterol, proved to be active against Gram-positive, two strains of S. aureus (ATCC6538 MIC = 1 mg/mL; ATCC43300 MIC = 2 mg/mL) and S. epidermidis (MIC > 2 mg/mL), and Gram-negative bacteria, E. coli 25922 (MIC = 2 mg/mL) and P. aeruginosa (MIC > 2 mg/mL) [55]. In another study [12], the ability of the dichloromethane and MeOH extracts of BB to inhibit E. coli and S. aureus was studied by the plate-diffusion method and the authors concluded that the tested extracts showed activity against both microorganisms. ...
... The results obtained show that the BB extract has anti-inflammatory activity, presenting a GI 50 = 320.5 µg/mL. The anti-inflammatory capacity of the fucosterol-rich lipidic fraction of BB was already studied, revealing a significant anti-inflammatory potential of this dichloromethane-based extract [55]; in that study, a 50 µg/mL extract inhibited LPS-induced NO production to 6%. That result unveiled the anti-inflammatory potential of BB. ...
In recent years, consumers have been increasingly interested in natural, healthier, functional foods, with a focus on sea-based products such as algae. Bifurcaria bifurcata (BB) is a macroalga that belongs to the Phaeophyceae class. These brown algae are recognized as the source of bioactive molecules of great interest to the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. The present work applied response surface methodology to optimize the microwave-assisted extraction of the poorly studied algae. The optimization variables were time, pressure, and solvent composition (ethanol/water) and the response parameters selected were yield, total phenolic and flavonoid content, and the antioxidant profile by evaluating DPPH•+, ABTS•+ scavenging activity, and β-carotene discoloration capacity. The results obtained reveal remarkable bioactivity of the crude extract of BB with positive results as an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent. Furthermore, the BB extract’s capacity to inhibit enzymes related to neurodegenerative diseases and its anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferation activity open the possibility of future food or pharmaceutical applications.
... The findings of the ABTS •+ assay are consistent with those of previous studies. Santos et al. (2017) determined the IC 50 of a B. bifurcata dichloromethane extract to be 116.25 ± 2.54 µg mL −1 . Santos et al. (2020) obtained 50% of inhibition with a B. bifurcata ethanol extract at a concentration of 134.19 ± 2.12 µg mL −1 , which is lower than the value found in our work. ...
Seaweeds have been identified as a valuable source of natural ingredients and their use in cosmetics is being studied increasingly. This work sought to understand the possible uses of three species of brown algae present along the Portuguese coast: Bifurcaria bifurcata, Saccorhiza polyschides and Fucus spiralis. Considering the idea of more sustainable use of resources, two extracts (water (W) and ethanol (E)) and two fractions (polysaccharides (P) and residues (R)) were obtained employing a biorefinery process. The extracts and fractions were evaluated in terms of antioxidant capacity (ABTS•+, DPPH•, •NO, O2•− and FRAP assays), anti-hyperpigmentation capacity (tyrosinase inhibition), and evaluated in terms of biocompounds (phenolic compounds and pigment content). The biochemical analysis revealed that F. spiralis contain more lipids and carbohydrates than the other species, while S. polyschides has more proteins and ashes. Fucus spiralis showed the most promising results, regarding the antioxidant assays, tyrosinase inhibition, highest phenolic compound concentration, total chlorophylls and total carotenoids. In a biorefinery concept, F. spiralis from the autumn season would be the most promising candidate as all extracts and fractions have potential commercial value. Bifurcaria bifurcata also has its merits in antioxidant activities and the content of phenolic compounds.
... The mass spectrometer was operated in the electron impact mode with an energy of 70 eV, and the data were collected at a rate of 1 scan s −1 over a range of m/z 35-900. The ion source was kept at 250 • C [68]. ...
E. globulus leaves have been mainly exploited for essential oil recovery or for energy generation in industrial pulp mills, neglecting the abundance of valuable families of extractives, namely, triterpenic acids, that might open new ways for the integrated valorization of this biomass. Therefore, this study highlights the lipophilic characterization of E. globulus leaves before and after hydrodistillation, aiming at the integrated valorization of both essential oils and triterpenic acids. The lipophilic composition of E. globulus leaves after hydrodistillation is reported for the first time. Extracts were obtained by dichloromethane Soxhlet extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In addition, their cytotoxicity on different cell lines representative of the innate immune system, skin, liver, and intestine were evaluated. Triterpenic acids, such as betulonic, oleanolic, betulinic and ursolic acids, were found to be the main components of these lipophilic extracts, ranging from 30.63–37.14 g kg⁻¹ of dry weight (dw), and representing 87.7–89.0% w/w of the total content of the identified compounds. In particular, ursolic acid was the major constituent of all extracts, representing 46.8–50.7% w/w of the total content of the identified compounds. Other constituents, such as fatty acids, long-chain aliphatic alcohols and β-sitosterol were also found in smaller amounts in the studied extracts. This study also demonstrates that the hydrodistillation process does not affect the recovery of compounds of greatest interest, namely, triterpenic acids. Therefore, the results establish that this biomass residue can be considered as a promising source of value-added bioactive compounds, opening new strategies for upgrading pulp industry residues within an integrated biorefinery context.
... Lipophilic extracts and The potential of lipophilic compounds is not restricted to one algae group. Free fatty acids from brown algae are known to exhibit the relevant antibacterial activity against species associated with plant diseases [150]. The presence of phenolic acids (and their by-products) in N-butanol extracts of brown algae can contribute to the antibacterial activity presented [151] since this group includes a wide range of compounds with great antibacterial activity reported [46,146]. ...
... In cases of resistant bacteria, some macroalgae extracts have shown higher effectiveness when combined with artificial chemical products, such as antibiotics, demonstrating a positive synergistic activity between the antibiotics and the natural compounds present in the extracts. This situation was already observed in the study by Santos and co-workers, where the addiction of a B. bifurcata extract strongly enhanced the inhibitory potential of rifampicin and tetracycline against the antibiotic-resistant E. coli and S. aureus bacteria [150]. ...
Plant bacterial pathogens can be devastating and compromise entire crops of fruit and vegetables worldwide. The consequences of bacterial plant infections represent not only relevant economical losses, but also the reduction of food availability. Synthetic bactericides have been the most used tool to control bacterial diseases, representing an expensive investment for the producers, since cyclic applications are usually necessary, and are a potential threat to the environment. The development of greener methodologies is of paramount importance, and some options are already available in the market, usually related to genetic manipulation or plant community modulation, as in the case of biocontrol. Seaweeds are one of the richest sources of bioactive compounds, already being used in different industries such as cosmetics, food, medicine, pharmaceutical investigation, and agriculture, among others. They also arise as an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic bactericides. Several studies have already demonstrated their inhibitory activity over relevant bacterial phytopathogens, some of these compounds are known for their eliciting ability to trigger priming defense mechanisms. The present work aims to gather the available information regarding seaweed extracts/compounds with antibacterial activity and eliciting potential to control bacterial phytopathogens, highlighting the extracts from brown algae with protective properties against microbial attack.
... Compounds were identified by comparing their spectra with the GC-MS spectral library (Wiley-NIST Mass Spectral Library 2014) and with the published data [81,[84][85][86][87], and in some cases by injection of standards. ...
The chemical composition, investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and antibacterial activity of lipophilic extractives of three varieties of Opuntia ficus-indica roots from Algeria are reported in this paper for the first time. The results obtained revealed a total of 55 compounds, including fatty acids, sterols, monoglycerides and long chain aliphatic alcohols that were identified and quantified. β-Sitosterol was found as the major compound of the roots of the three varieties. Furthermore, considerable amounts of essential fatty acids (ω3, ω6, and ω9) such as oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids were also identified. The green variety was the richest among the three studied varieties. The antibacterial activity, evaluated with disc diffusion method, revealed that lipophilic extracts were effective mainly against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (19~23 mm). Gram-negative strains mainly Pseudomonas aeruginosa gave an inhibition zone of 18 mm, which is considered high antibacterial activity. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of the tested bacteria revealed interesting values against the majority of bacteria tested: 75–100 µg mL⁻¹ for Bacillus sp., 250–350 µg/mL for the two Staphylococcus strains, 550–600 µg mL⁻¹ for E. coli, and 750–950 µg mL⁻¹ obtained with Pseudomonas sp. This study allows us to conclude that the lipophilic fractions of cactus roots possess interesting phytochemicals such as steroids, some fatty acids and long chain alcohols that acted as antibiotic-like compounds countering pathogenic strains.
... Before GC-MS analysis, nearly 20 mg of extract was converted into trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives according to previously optimized methodology [39]. GC-MS analysis was performed using a Trace Gas Chromatograph 2000 Series equipped with a Thermo Scientific DSQ II mass spectrometer (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) using helium as carrier gas (35 cm/s) equipped with a DB-1 J&W capillary column (30 m × 0.32 mm i.d., 0.25 m film thickness, Clara, CA, USA). ...
... Antioxidant activity of elderberry stalks' polar fraction was assessed using the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH • ) to measure their hydrogen-donating or radical scavenging ability, following an adaption of the methodology described previously [39] for 96-well plates. Briefly, 9.6 µL of extract (with concentrations ranging between 120 and 190 µg mL −1 ) was added to a 96-well plate containing 29 µL of DPPH radical solution (0.8 mM in methanol) and 192 µL of methanol. ...
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) consumption has been growing in the last years, generating a large number of stalks (~10% of the berries bunch) that are still under-valorized. This study focused on the evaluation of elderberry stalks as a source of high-value phytochemicals. In this vein, the essential mineral content and lipophilic composition were analyzed for the first time. In addition, the polar fraction was evaluated regarding its total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity by both 2,2-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) assays. The lipophilic fraction was mainly composed of triterpenic acids (2902.20 mg kg⁻¹ of dry weight (dw)), fatty acids (711.73 mg kg⁻¹ dw) and sterols (288.56 mg kg⁻¹ dw). Minor amounts of long-chain aliphatic alcohols and other components were also detected. Ursolic acid (2265.83 mg kg⁻¹ dw), hexadecanoic acid (219.85 mg kg⁻¹ dw) and β-sitosterol (202.74 mg kg⁻¹ dw) were the major lipophilic components verified. The results of this study also indicated that elderberry stalks might be used as a natural source of essential minerals, particularly calcium, iron and potassium, which are known to play important roles in various body functions. The analysis of the polar fraction also showed that elderberry stalks present TPC as high as elderberry themselves as well as considerable antioxidant activity (1.04 and 0.37 mmol TE g⁻¹ of extract, against respectively ABTS and DPPH radicals). These results highlight the potential of elderberry stalks as a natural source of high-value phytochemicals that may be explored in several fields.
... The lipophilic extract of Bifurcaria bifurcata, with a considerable amount of fucosterol displayed antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Subsequently, the synergistic analysis of the extract with antibiotics significantly reduced the minimal inhibitory concentrations of the tested antibiotics [77]. Intriguingly, a cholesterol derivative, 24-propylidene cholest-5-en-3β-ol, obtained from the red algae Laurencia papillosa displayed antibacterial activity against S. aureus, Bacillus subtilis, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. ...
Seaweed extracts are considered effective therapeutic alternatives to synthetic anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial agents, owing to their availability, low cost, greater efficacy, eco-friendliness, and non-toxic nature. Since the bioactive constituents of seaweed, in particular, phytosterols, possess plenty of medicinal benefits over other conventional pharmaceutical agents, they have been extensively evaluated for many years. Fortunately, recent advances in phytosterol-based research have begun to unravel the evidence concerning these important processes and to endow the field with the understanding and identification of the potential contributions of seaweed-steroidal molecules that can be used as chemotherapeutic drugs. Despite the myriad of research interests in phytosterols, there is an immense need to fill the void with an up-to-date literature survey elucidating their biosynthesis, pharmacological effects, and other biomedical applications. Hence, in the present review, we summarize studies dealing with several types of seaweed to provide a comprehensive overview of the structural determination of several phytosterol molecules, their properties, biosynthetic pathways, and mechanisms of action, along with their health benefits, which could significantly contribute to the development of novel drugs and functional foods.
... The resulting B. bifurcata FA profile was in agreement with the ones obtained by previous studies, with a predominance of the palmitic, arachidonic, and oleic acids [25][26][27][28][29]. However, the literature presents differences in the nature of the quantified FA, with some of the studies reporting higher concentrations of SFA [25,28,29] and others higher concentrations of PUFA [26,27]. ...
... The resulting B. bifurcata FA profile was in agreement with the ones obtained by previous studies, with a predominance of the palmitic, arachidonic, and oleic acids [25][26][27][28][29]. However, the literature presents differences in the nature of the quantified FA, with some of the studies reporting higher concentrations of SFA [25,28,29] and others higher concentrations of PUFA [26,27]. These discrepancies could be the result of the distinct sample harvest locations and harvest seasons. ...
... A study with samples collected from Peniche (Portugal) presented a ω6/ω3 ratio of 1.73, while samples from Praia da Aguda (Portugal) and Camariñas (Spain) showed ratios of 1.22 and 1.41, respectively [26,27,29]. Lower ratios were obtained in samples from Ria de Aveiro (Portugal), at 0.46, and higher ratios were obtained for samples from the Atlantic Coast of Morocco, at 4.51 [25,28]. ...
Due to the high consumption of fat-rich processed foods, efforts are being done to reduce their saturated fat (SFA) contents and replace it with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), creating a necessity to find alternative PUFA sources. Macroalgae, being a promising natural source of healthy food, may be such an alternative. The fatty acid (FA) profile of Fucus spiralis, Bifurcaria bifurcata, Ulva lactuca, and Saccorhiza polyschides were determined through direct transesterification and their seasonal variation was studied. F. spiralis showed the highest FA content overall, B. bifurcata presented the higher PUFA amounts, and U. lactuca and S. polyschides the higher SFA. The production of FA was shown to be influenced by the seasons. Spring and summer seemed to induce the FA production in F. spiralis and B. bifurcata while in U. lactuca the same was verified in winter. U. lactuca presented a ω6/ω3 ratio between 0.59 and 1.38 while B. bifurcata presented a ratio around 1.31. The study on the seasonal variations of the macroalgal FA profile can be helpful to understand the best season to yield FA of interest, such as ALA, EPA, and DHA. It may also provide valuable information on the best culturing conditions for the production of desired FAs.
... One of the most studied algae for its antimicrobial capacity is E. cava, whose extracts have been shown to be active against different microorganisms (Kim et al. 2015d;Lee et al. 2016). It has recently been determined that the lipophilic fractions of B. bifurcata are active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and that extracts from this alga boost the action of other conventional antibiotics (Santos et al. 2017). It is therefore of great interest to identify the molecules responsible for these activities. ...
Macro‐ and microalgae contain a variety of biologically active compounds that are of great interest in the prevention of diseases and therefore are potential candidates for the development of pharmaceutical preparations, either as medicines or as nutraceuticals. Some epidemiological studies indicate that consumption of algae can protect from certain diseases such as allergies, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, atopic dermatitis, or Alzheimer's disease, and this has led to in vitro and in vivo studies, to research their possible mechanisms of action. Even though clinical trials are scarce, the pharmaceutical industry is keen on developing drugs of natural origin from marine organisms (e.g. Adcetris®), with fewer side effects or less toxicity to humans. Macro‐ and microalgae contain a variety of bioactive compounds: polysaccharides; phenolic compounds such as phlorotannins; diverse pigments such as the chlorophylls and carotenoids, including fucoxanthin; mycosporine‐like amino acids; halogenated compounds; proteins, peptides, and amino acids; essential and long‐chain marine polyunsaturated fatty acids; sterols; and other lipids, vitamins, and minerals that could be putative active ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, the cosmetics industry is studying algal compounds as a source of ingredients for potential use in cosmeceutical preparations such as phloroglucinol, porphyran, astaxanthin, and fucoxanthin.
This chapter summarizes current knowledge on algal compounds of interest for the formulation of pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical preparations.
