Loretto Contreras-Porcia

Universidad Andrés Bello | UNAB · Department of Ecology and Biodiversity

In this study, biomass characterization and sustainable biorefinery were determined using microwave-assisted extraction to recover valuable biocompounds from the green-tide species Ulva stenophylloides. The biomass exhibits concentrations of 21% for proteins; 24.6% for sulfate; 2.1% for lipids; 27% for carbohydrates; 15% and 11% for chlorophylls a...

Global green tide blooms of the Ulva genus have been increasing due to human activities, with mass accumulation in Algarrobo Bay, Chile, causing ecological and social issues. In this area, five Ulva species were previously identified, with Ulva stenophylloides dominating across seasons and intertidal zones; Ulva uncialis was the second most abundan...

Green algae blooms of the genus Ulva are occurring globally and are primarily attributed to anthropogenic factors. At Los Tubos beach in Algarrobo Bay along the central Chilean coast, there have been blooms of these algae that persist almost year-round over the past 20 years, leading to environmental, economic, and social issues that affect the loc...

One of the most important factors regulating the distribution and abundance of seaweeds is desiccation, mainly triggered by tidal changes and climatic variation. Porphyra and Pyropia species have evolved multiple strategies to tolerate desiccation stress; however, how these tolerance strategies differ in these species in-habiting different latitude...

Se presenta un proceso de cultivo de algas de la especie Dictyota kunthii que utiliza lígulas obtenidas desde plantas donantes y que comprende al menos las siguientes cuatro etapas secuenciales: Ingreso y cultivo de algas donantes; Ingreso de lígulas a Hatchery separadas por calibre; Cultivos de lígulas en Hatchery; y Cultivo de lígulas en estanque...

Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous contaminants that frequently co-occur in coastal environments. These contaminants can have negative impacts on the health and stability of marine and coastal ecosystems, affecting both the organisms themselves and the humans who consume them. A coastal industrial park in centra...

Biochar made from seaweed biomass of marine farms established for water pollutant remediation may be a promising amendment for soil remediation in the same coastal territory. The study aimed to assess the soil Cu-immobilizing, pH neutralizing, and nutrient improvement capabilities of a seaweed biochar when incorporated into degraded soil of the sam...

The species of the genus Pyropia have a diplohaplontic life cycle, in which there is a gametophytic phase (n) or blade, and a microscopic sporophytic phase (2n), known as conchocelis, as well as intermediate stages of development. Pyropia species, together with Porphyra species, belong to the group of the most commercialised and produced macroalgae...

Taking into consideration climate change scenarios, marine contamination, and a constantly ex-panding world population, seaweed aquaculture has become an important option for the large-scale production of high-quality biomass. Due to existing biological knowledge of Gracilaria chilensis, several cultivation strategies have been established for obta...

Several seaweed species are commercialized worldwide both due to high demand for food and feed and as a raw material for the extraction of phycocolloids such as agar, carrageenan, and alginates that are used broadly in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Chile is the world’s leading marine seaweed biomass producer when it comes to th...

Seaweed aquaculture is affected by natural and anthropogenic stressors, which put the biomass productivity of the cultures at risk. Seaweed biomass for commercial purposes, principally in pharmaceutical and/or nutraceutical applications, needs to be free of pollutants; therefore, controlled cultures have relevance in regulating the quality of bioma...

Las algas constituyen uno de los grupos de organismos más diversos e importantes de nuestro planeta, con tamaños que varían desde los 0.6 micrómetros hasta cuerpos multicelulares macroscópicos de varias decenas de metros, especies de agua dulce, marina, terrestres, simbióticas, y con una variedad de pigmentos fotosintetizadores. La característica q...

Gracilaria chilensis is distributed in New Zealand (including Chatham Island) and South America. This species has a three-stage sexual life cycle, as well as asexual and vegetative reproduction, and is commercially important as it is a valuable source for producing agar. However, basing the crops exclusively on clonal reproduction and vegetative pr...

Coastal shores near the industrial park of Quintero Bay in central Chile exhibit increasing concentrations of copper (Cu) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), well above international standards. This raises concern about their combined toxic effects on early development stages of kelps. Accordingly, we aimed to assess more accurately the in...

Agarophyton chilense is distributed in New Zealand (including Chatham Island) and South America. This species has a three-stage sexual life cycle, as well as asexual and vegetative reproduction, and is commercially important as it is a valuable source for producing agar. However, basing the crops exclusively on clonal reproduction and vegetative pr...

Seaweed biochar is an efficient alternative bioadsorbent for Cu2+ removal due to its low cost and heavy metal removal capacity. Using the slow pyrolysis process, we produced biochars from Macrocystis pyrifera at 300 (BC300), 450 (BC450), and 600 °C (BC600). The physicochemical and structural properties of the biochar samples improved with increasin...

PAHs and heavy metals are characteristic pollutants in urbanized coastal areas, especially those with industrial activity. Given this context and the ability of Macrocystis pyrifera to drift when detached and provide trophic subsidy in coastal systems, we analyzed the potential transfer of pollutants to the herbivore Tetrapygus niger, through diet,...

The study of pollution effects in the marine environment has become important in recent decades, and the exposure to simultaneous pollutants has become especially relevant. Indeed, the study of key organisms, such as ecosystem engineers, can show a broader view of the effects of pollutants. In this context, we evaluate in situ the effects of a shor...

An Agarophyton chilensis extract, enriched with free fatty acids and PPARγ modulators, which comprises palmitic acid, stearic acid, myristic acid, oleic acid and 8-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (8-HETE). A method for obtaining the extract. A nutraceutical composition which comprises the extract enriched with free fatty acids and PPARγ modulators, wh...

The biomedical potential of the edible red seaweed Agarophyton chilense (formerly Gracilaria chilensis) has not been explored. Red seaweeds are enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids and eicosanoids, which are known natural ligands of the PPARγ nuclear receptor. PPARγ is the molecular target of thiazolidinediones (TZDs), drugs used as insulin sens...

Red alga species belonging to the Porphyra and Pyropia genera (commonly known as Nori), which are widely consumed and commercialized due to their high nutritional value. These species have a carotenoid profile dominated by xanthophylls, mostly lutein and zeaxanthin, which have rel-evant benefits for human health. The effects of different abiotic fa...

Heavy metals (HMs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent toxicants in coastal environments. Notably, in comparison to individual metal toxicity, knowledge about the effects of HMs and PAHs mixtures on kelps remains scarce. Accordingly, we performed in vitro experiments to determine the individual and combined effects of Cu, Cd...

Macrocystis pyrifera reaches distant areas after detachment, accumulate heavy metals, and serve as trophic subsidy. In this context, effects on both adults and larvae of Tetrapygus niger fed with polluted kelps were determined by assessing growth, fertility, and early larval development. Results revealed that sea urchins fed with polluted kelps fro...

Macrocystis pyrifera reaches distant areas after detachment, accumulate heavy metals, and serve as trophic subsidy. In this context, effects on both adults and larvae of Tetrapygus niger fed with polluted kelp were determined by assessing growth, fertility, and early larval development. Results revealed that sea urchins fed with polluted kelp from...

In this study we evaluated the productivity of an outdoor cultivation system based in secondary attachment discs (SADs) of Chondracanthus chamissoi as propagation strategy to produce and maintain a permanent thalli stock. For that, re-attachment of fronds, survival of SADs, growth rate of new erect axes, coverage and productivity were evaluated in...

The invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition of Agarophyton chilensis extract which has an antiproliferative effect on prostate cancer and comprises: a) from 0.1% to 90% of an Agarophyton chilensis oleoresin with the main components of palmitic acid, arachidonic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, myristic acid, linoleic acid; and b) from 10%...

The industrial park of Quintero Bay (QB) in the central coast of Chile was established in the 1960s, presents high levels of pollution due to the industrial activity, and it is known as one of the five Chilean “sacrifice zones”. Lessonia spicata is the most important habitat-forming kelp species in the intertidal along the central and south shores...

In this study, we report for the first time the appearance of an endophytic filamentous red alga, living associated with the edible red seaweed Chondracanthus chamissoi. Molecular identification, growth, and reproduction of this endophyte are described under different conditions: photoperiod (8:16, 12:12, and 16:08 L:D), temperature (10 and 15 °C),...

The invention relates to a device and method for the culture of red algae spores, which comprises: a structure with U-shaped guide frames that supports a system of frames supporting a substrate for the settlement of spores in an inclined position, which is handled from outside the water by means of a lever connected to two horizontal bars that supp...

In the present study we introduce the development and implementation of a new technology for improving the seeding in the spore-based cultures on red algae (excluding Porphyra), using a spore re-suspending technology (SRT). Such technology has two operation differences with the current methods: (i) it allows the use of vertically placed frames, and...

Members of the genus Chondracanthus (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales) inhabit the shores of both hemispheres, and for decades in some countries have been used as raw material for carrageenan extraction, and in some cases destined for human consumption. This has created potential business opportunities, which has drawn the attention of scientists and produ...

Mariculture of edible Porphyra/Pyropia species, which are cosmopolitan red foliose algae, represent an important source of income for the pharmaceutical and food industries. In Chile, the most common alga of this complex is Pyropia orbicularis (Bangiales, Rhodophyta). Here we report 6 microsatellite markers obtained from P. orbicularis through a ge...

The red seaweed Pyropia orbicularis is an economic important species that occurs predominantly in the high intertidal zone along the chilean coast where it experiences extreme conditions under daily turning tides. Its gametophytic phase has been demonstrated to have a high desiccation tolerance, both at the genomic and proteomic levels but studies...

Recently 18 Bangiales seaweed species were reported for the Chilean coast, including Pyropia orbicularis and Pyropia variabilis (large [LM] and green [GM] morphotypes). Porphyra/Pyropia spp. occur mainly in the upper intertidal where desiccation stress is triggered by tidal fluctuations. However, the influence of environmental and ecophysiological...

Recently eighteen Bangiales seaweed species were reported for the Chilean coast, including Pyropia orbicularis, and Pyropia variabilis [large (LM) and green (GM) morphotypes]. Porphyra/Pyropia spp. occur mainly in the upper intertidal where desiccation stress is triggered by tidal fluctuations. However, the influence of environmental and ecophysiol...

Emiliania huxleyi is a cosmopolitan coccolithophore exhibiting a high degree of genetic and physiological variability among strains and life-cycle stages. Here we investigated whether responses to copper (Cu) toxicity and oxidative stress varied by environmental origin or life cycle stage. We compared responses to toxic concentrations of Cu and sho...

Biochar is a carbon-rich solid derived from thermally stabilized organic material, meaning that this product can be stored and applied to soils for improving its quality. Biochar differs from other solid products derived from thermochemical conversion, such as charcoal or active carbon, in that long-term carbon storage is an objective, than the...

Marine macrophytes (including seaweeds and seagrasses) are the assemblage of diverse groups of phototrophic marine plants and are considered marine ecological engineers. Both provide a range of ecologically and economically valuable biological services; however, they are under constant threat from a wide range of anthropogenic stressors, climate...

Records on the diversity of algae serve as a foundation for establishing management and environmental protection programs, as well as for determining new commercial uses of algae. With this context in mind, the goal of the present study was to determine the richness, coverage, and composition of the macroalgae assemblage in the intertidal zone of M...

Records on the diversity of algae serve as a foundation for establishing management and environmental protection programs, as well as for determining new commercial uses of algae. With this context in mind, the goal of the present study was to determine the richness, coverage, and composition of the macroalgae assemblage in the intertidal zone of M...

Marine macrophytes including seaweeds and sea grasses are the ecosystem engineers and experience constant threats from a wide range of anthropogenic stressors and climate fluctuations in their ecological niche. Marine macrophytes acclimate and/or tolerate these external perturbations by reprogramming their metabolite networks. Among the various met...

Seaweeds are sessile organisms that inhabit coastal benthic systems and are key species for the equilibrium of marine communities. Rocky intertidal zone seaweeds are distributed in marked patterns determined by interactions between biotic and abiotic factors influenced by tide levels. It has been proposed that the distribution and abundance of orga...

Heavy metals are significant pollutants continuously released into the biosphere, both naturally and anthropogenically. Conceptually, metal speciation, bioavailability, and associated toxicity in marine organisms depend on a wide array of abiotic and biotic factors. Among these, pH variation is one of the most important environmental factors influe...

Main conclusion: The transcriptional modulation of desiccation tolerance factors in P. orbicularis explains its successful recuperation after water deficit. Differential responses to air exposure clarify seaweed distribution along intertidal rocky zones. Desiccation-tolerant seaweed species, such as Pyropia orbicularis, can tolerate near 96% water...

Microalgae are photosynthetic eukariotic microorganisms capable of producing a wide range of compounds of commercial interest, such as vitamins, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and immunostimulants like ß-glucans. ß-glucans are D-glucose polymers linked by ß-1,3 and/or ß-1,4 bonds, which can present branches of ß-1,6 bonds. The most well known i...

Seagrasses are marine ecosystem engineers that are currently declining in abundance at an alarming rate due to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances in ecological niches. Despite reports on the morphological and physiological adaptations of seagrasses to extreme environments, little is known of the molecular mechanisms underlying photo-acclim...

Rapid Light Curve measurements for Zostera muelleri seagrass plants exposed to saturating light (SL Control; 200 μmol photons m−2 = s−1), super-saturating light (SSL, 600 μmol photons m−2s−1), and limited light (LL, 20 μmol photons m−2s−1) irradiance at (A) day 0 (T0) and (B) day 10 (T10) of the experiment.

Relative volume variation of Zostera muelleri protein spots between super-saturating light (SSL; 600 μmol photons m−2s−1) and saturating light (SL, Control; 200 μmol photons m−2s−1) irradiance conditions. Numbers in brackets correspond to the spot number of each identified protein as given in Table 1. The relative protein spot volume variation in a...

List of proteins identified, their peptide sequences and associated statistics for (Sheet A) super-saturating light (SSL; 600 μmol photons m−2s−1) and saturating light (SL, Control; 200 μmol photons m−2s−1) irradiance conditions; and for (Sheet B) limited light (LL; 20 μmol photons m−2s−1) and saturating light (SL, Control; 200 μmol photons ms−1) i...

Relative volume variation of Zostera muelleri protein spots between limited light (LL; 20 μmol photons m−2s−1) and saturating light (SL, Control; 200 μmol photons ms−1) irradiance conditions. Numbers in brackets correspond to the spot number of each identified protein as given in Table 2. The relative protein spot volume variation in all the differ...

Microalgae are photosynthetic eukariotic microorganisms capable of producing a wide range of compounds of commercial interest, such as vitamins, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and immunostimulants like β-glucans. β-glucans are D-glucose polymers linked by β-1,3 and/or β-1,4 bonds, which can present branches of β-1,6 bonds. The most well known i...

Main conclusion: The hormone ABA regulates the oxidative stress state under desiccation in seaweed species; an environmental condition generated during daily tidal changes. Desiccation is one of the most important factors that determine the distribution pattern of intertidal seaweeds. Among most tolerant seaweed is Pyropia orbicularis, which colon...

In primary producers, diverse stressors cause an over-production of methylglyoxal (MG), which is principally detoxified by glyoxalase I (GLO1) activity. A recent proteomic study found that GLO1 was up-regulated during natural desiccation in the red seaweed Pyropia orbicularis, which inhabits the upper intertidal rocky zone and compared to other spe...

Extreme reduction in cellular water content leads to desiccation, which, if persistent, affects the physiology of organisms, mainly through oxidative stress. Some organisms are highly tolerant to desiccation, including resurrection plants and certain intertidal seaweeds. One such species is Pyropia orbicularis, a rhodophycean that colonizes upper i...

Due to overconsumption of fossil fuels, microalgae have arrived as an alternative source of biofuel. Looking forward to generate a sustainable process, it is proposed to couple the cultures to CO2 emission sources, reaching in this way higher biomass performance and helping in the way with the capture of carbon released by the combustion processes....

A new species of bladed Bangiales, Pyropia orbicularis sp. nov., has been described for the first time from the central coast of Chile based on morphology and molecular analyses. The new species was incorrectly known previously as Porphyra columbina (now Pyropia columbina), and it can be distinguished from other species of Pyropia through a range o...