Pharmacological Activity of Marine Algae Compounds

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 12862

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Peniche, Portugal
Interests: marine bioactive compounds; marine biotechnology; microbiology; enzymology oxidative stress; biofouling; environmental sustainability; marine invasive species

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Peniche, Portugal
Interests: marine natural products; extraction methodologies; chromatography; chemical analysis; compounds identification; bioscreening
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to invite you to contribute with research or review articles to the Special Issue “Pharmacological Activity of Marine Algae Compounds”. 

It is widely recognized that marine organisms have the ability to produce compounds with unique structural features, extremely valuable for the development of new pharmacological products, due to their high bioactive potential. Within this context, algae can be regarded as an extremely interesting source of new chemical structures, upon which novel multitarget drugs can be based on. However, until now, only a fraction of their potential has been explored. The aim of this Special Issue is to cover the most recent advances on algae compounds showing outstanding biological activities targeting oxidative stress-related diseases, cancer, inflammation, and infectious diseases. Research studies based on environmentally sustainable strategies are also welcome.

Dr. Susete Pinteus
Dr. Alice Martins
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • seaweed
  • microalgae
  • oxidative stress
  • antimicrobial activity
  • anti-inflammatory activity
  • marine natural products
  • secondary metabolites
  • bioactive compounds

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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38 pages, 7970 KiB  
Article
Marine Alga Ulva fasciata-Derived Molecules for the Potential Treatment of SARS-CoV-2: An In Silico Approach
by Haresh S. Kalasariya, Nikunj B. Patel, Amel Gacem, Taghreed Alsufyani, Lisa M. Reece, Virendra Kumar Yadav, Nasser S. Awwad, Hala A. Ibrahium, Yongtae Ahn, Krishna Kumar Yadav and Byong-Hun Jeon
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(9), 586; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20090586 - 19 Sep 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3632
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. This in silico study aimed to elucidate therapeutic efficacies against SARS-CoV-2 of phyco-compounds from the seaweed, Ulva fasciata. Twelve phyco-compounds were isolated and toxicity was analyzed by VEGA QSAR. Five compounds were found [...] Read more.
SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. This in silico study aimed to elucidate therapeutic efficacies against SARS-CoV-2 of phyco-compounds from the seaweed, Ulva fasciata. Twelve phyco-compounds were isolated and toxicity was analyzed by VEGA QSAR. Five compounds were found to be nonmutagenic, noncarcinogenic and nontoxic. Moreover, antiviral activity was evaluated by PASS. Binding affinities of five of these therapeutic compounds were predicted to possess probable biological activity. Fifteen SARS-CoV-2 target proteins were analyzed by the AutoDock Vina program for molecular docking binding energy analysis and the 6Y84 protein was determined to possess optimal binding affinities. The Desmond program from Schrödinger’s suite was used to study high performance molecular dynamic simulation properties for 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol—6Y84 for better drug evaluation. The ligand with 6Y84 had stronger binding affinities (−5.9 kcal/mol) over two standard drugs, Chloroquine (−5.6 kcal/mol) and Interferon α-2b (−3.8 kcal/mol). Swiss ADME calculated physicochemical/lipophilicity/water solubility/pharmacokinetic properties for 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol, showing that this therapeutic agent may be effective against SARS-CoV-2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacological Activity of Marine Algae Compounds)
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14 pages, 2531 KiB  
Article
3-Bromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde Isolated from Polysiphonia morrowii Suppresses TNF-α/IFN-γ-Stimulated Inflammation and Deterioration of Skin Barrier in HaCaT Keratinocytes
by Arachchige Maheshika Kumari Jayasinghe, Eui-Jeong Han, Kirinde Gedara Isuru Sandanuwan Kirindage, Ilekuttige Priyan Shanura Fernando, Eun-A Kim, Junseong Kim, Kyungsook Jung, Kil-Nam Kim, Soo-Jin Heo and Ginnae Ahn
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(9), 563; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20090563 - 31 Aug 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2688
Abstract
Polysiphonia morrowii is a well-known red alga that has promising pharmacological characteristics. The current study evaluates the protective effect of 3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (BDB) isolated from P. morrowii on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α/interferon (IFN)-γ-stimulated inflammation and skin barrier deterioration in HaCaT keratinocytes. The anti-inflammatory effect [...] Read more.
Polysiphonia morrowii is a well-known red alga that has promising pharmacological characteristics. The current study evaluates the protective effect of 3-bromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (BDB) isolated from P. morrowii on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α/interferon (IFN)-γ-stimulated inflammation and skin barrier deterioration in HaCaT keratinocytes. The anti-inflammatory effect of BDB in TNF-α/IFN-γ-stimulated HaCaT keratinocytes is evaluated by investigating nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, inflammatory cytokines, and chemokines. Further, the interaction between BDB and the skin barrier functions in stimulated HaCaT keratinocytes is investigated. The findings of the study reveal that BDB dose-dependently increases cell viability while decreasing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. BDB downregulates the expression of inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-6, -8, -13, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and chemokines, Eotaxin, macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), regulated on activation, normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES), and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) by modulating the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in TNF-α/IFN-γ-stimulated HaCaT keratinocytes. Furthermore, BDB increases the production of skin hydration proteins and tight junction proteins in stimulated HaCaT keratinocytes by preserving skin moisturization and tight junction stability. These findings imply that BDB exhibits a protective ability against inflammation and deterioration of skin barrier via suppressing the expression of inflammatory signaling in TNF-α/IFN-γ-stimulated HaCaT keratinocytes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacological Activity of Marine Algae Compounds)
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Review

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21 pages, 1336 KiB  
Review
Phycobiliproteins—A Family of Algae-Derived Biliproteins: Productions, Characterization and Pharmaceutical Potentials
by Huaxin Chen, Hongtao Qi and Peng Xiong
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(7), 450; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20070450 - 09 Jul 2022
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3340
Abstract
Phycobiliproteins (PBPs) are colored and water-soluble biliproteins found in cyanobacteria, rhodophytes, cryptomonads and cyanelles. They are divided into three main types: allophycocyanin, phycocyanin and phycoerythrin, according to their spectral properties. There are two methods for PBPs preparation. One is the extraction and purification [...] Read more.
Phycobiliproteins (PBPs) are colored and water-soluble biliproteins found in cyanobacteria, rhodophytes, cryptomonads and cyanelles. They are divided into three main types: allophycocyanin, phycocyanin and phycoerythrin, according to their spectral properties. There are two methods for PBPs preparation. One is the extraction and purification of native PBPs from Cyanobacteria, Cryptophyta and Rhodophyta, and the other way is the production of recombinant PBPs by heterologous hosts. Apart from their function as light-harvesting antenna in photosynthesis, PBPs can be used as food colorants, nutraceuticals and fluorescent probes in immunofluorescence analysis. An increasing number of reports have revealed their pharmaceutical potentials such as antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects. The advances in PBP biogenesis make it feasible to construct novel PBPs with various activities and produce recombinant PBPs by heterologous hosts at low cost. In this review, we present a critical overview on the productions, characterization and pharmaceutical potentials of PBPs, and discuss the key issues and future perspectives on the exploration of these valuable proteins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacological Activity of Marine Algae Compounds)
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