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Marine Drugs
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Characterization of Bioactive Components in Edible Algae 3rd Edition
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Special Issue "Characterization of Bioactive Components in Edible Algae 3rd Edition"

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Structural Studies on Marine Natural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2023 | Viewed by 4986

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Leonel Pereira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: phycology; marine biotechnology; biodiversity; food science; bioactive compouds from algae
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rui Pedro Gonçalves Pereira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
A4F Algae For Future, Estrada do Paço do Lumiar Campus do Lumiar, Ed. E – R/C., 1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: phycology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Seaweeds are already used in many products and for different purposes, from food products to medicine. They are a natural resource that can provide several compounds with beneficial bioactivities such as antiviral, anti-cholesterol, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aging effects. The high diversity of compounds synthesized by seaweed is an outcome of the highly variable and extreme conditions to which they are exposed in their natural habitats.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of studies on applications of macroalgae and microalgae as a result of the identification of different substances synthesized by these organisms. The immense biodiversity and consequent variability in the biochemical composition of the biomass obtained from algae cultures, combined with their genetic improvement and the development of large-scale cultivation technology, have made them a target of economic interest for several sectors of the industry, such as the food and pharmaceutical sectors.

Algae are a potential source for obtaining various biologically active compounds, such as carotenoids, fatty acids, vitamins, and polysaccharides, with an efficiency superior to that verified by traditional terrestrial vegetable crops. Furthermore, the possibility to produce algae in a more sustainable way without competing with other uses for freshwater and arable land greatly increases the acceptability of this biomass by consumers. Algae biomolecules can be used in the development of functional foods, which has led to the recent increase in commercial interest in algae by the food industry, including the nutraceutical and food supplement sectors.

Prof. Dr. Leonel Pereira
Dr. Rui Pedro Gonçalves Pereira
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

  • edible algae
  • seaweeds
  • microalgae
  • minerals
  • vitamins
  • polysaccharides
  • proteins
  • amino acids
  • fatty acids
  • pigments
  • phenolic compounds

Related Special Issues

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Article
Potential Activity of Arthrospira platensis as Antioxidant, Cytotoxic and Antifungal against Some Skin Diseases: Topical Cream Application
by
Saly Gheda
,
Eman H. F. Abd El-Zaher
,
Alaa M. Abou-Zeid
,
Nesma A. Bedair
and
Leonel Pereira
Mar. Drugs 2023, 21(3), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/md21030160 - 27 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1305
Abstract
This research evaluated the antifungal effectiveness of Arthrospira platensis ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate and acetone extracts against the tested pathogenic fungi (Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum and Malassezia furfur). Antioxidant and cytotoxicity effectiveness of A. platensis extracts against four distinct cell [...] Read more.
This research evaluated the antifungal effectiveness of Arthrospira platensis ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate and acetone extracts against the tested pathogenic fungi (Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum and Malassezia furfur). Antioxidant and cytotoxicity effectiveness of A. platensis extracts against four distinct cell lines were also assessed. Methanol extract of A. platensis exhibited the highest inhibition zones against Candida albicans as measured by the well diffusion method. A transmission electron micrograph of the treated group of Candida cells with A. platensis methanolic extract showed mild lysis and vacuolation of the cytoplasmic organelles. In vivo, after induced infection of mice by C. albicans and treatment with A. platensis methanolic extract cream, the skin layer emerged with the removal of Candida spherical plastopores. The extract of A. platensis recorded the highest antioxidant activity using the DPPH (2, 2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging method (IC50 28 mg/mL). A cytotoxicity test using a MTT assay showed that the A. platensis extract had strong cytotoxic activity against the HepG2 cell line (IC50 20.56 ± 1.7 μg/mL) and moderate cytotoxic activity against MCF7 and the Hela cell (IC50 27.99 ± 2.1 μg/mL). Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS) results revealed that the effective activity of A. platensis extract could be linked to a synergistic impact between their prominent composition as alkaloids, phytol, fatty acids hydrocarbons, phenolics and phthalates. A. platensis extract contains active metabolites that constitute a promising source of antifungal, antioxidant and anti-proliferative compounds for the pharmaceutical drug industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization of Bioactive Components in Edible Algae 3rd Edition)
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Article
Effects of Different Nitrogen Concentrations on Co-Production of Fucoxanthin and Fatty Acids in Conticribra weissflogii
by
Xiangyu Rui
,
David Kwame Amenorfenyo
,
Ke Peng
,
Haoming Li
,
Linfei Wang
,
Xianghu Huang
,
Changling Li
and
Feng Li
Mar. Drugs 2023, 21(2), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/md21020106 - 01 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1029
Abstract
Fucoxanthin and fatty acids are active substances that are beneficial to the growth and immunity of humans and aquatic animals. However, relatively few species have been exploited for fucoxanthin and fatty acids in the industry. At the same time, due to its low [...] Read more.
Fucoxanthin and fatty acids are active substances that are beneficial to the growth and immunity of humans and aquatic animals. However, relatively few species have been exploited for fucoxanthin and fatty acids in the industry. At the same time, due to its low extract content, poor stability, high production cost, and serious seasonal and regional limitations, the industry cannot normally meet the greater demand of the international market. Therefore, this experiment seeks to improve the fucoxanthin and fatty acid content of C. weissflogii by adjusting the nitrogen concentration in the culture medium. It was found that when the nitrogen concentration was 150 mg L−1, the cell number was 1.5 × 106 cell mL−1, and the average biomass was 0.75 g L−1. The mean value of carotenoid concentration was 2.179 mg L−1. The average concentration of fucoxanthin was 1.547 mg g−1. When the nitrogen concentration was 75 mg L−1, the fatty acid content reached its highest. By adjusting the concentration of nitrogen, the contents of fucoxanthin and fatty acids were increased. The results provided a theoretical basis for commercial extraction of fucoxanthin and fatty acids and further promoted the industrialization of fucoxanthin and fatty acids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization of Bioactive Components in Edible Algae 3rd Edition)
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Article
Fillet Fish Fortified with Algal Extracts of Codium tomentosum and Actinotrichia fragilis, as a Potential Antibacterial and Antioxidant Food Supplement
by
Mohamed S. M. Abd El Hafez
,
Sarah H. Rashedy
,
Neveen M. Abdelmotilib
,
Hala E. Abou El-Hassayeb
,
João Cotas
and
Leonel Pereira
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(12), 785; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20120785 - 17 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1843
Abstract
With respect to the potential natural resources in the marine environment, marine macroalgae or seaweeds are recognized to have health impacts. Two marine algae that are found in the Red Sea, Codium tomentosum (Green algae) and Actinotrichia fragilis (Red algae), were collected. Antibacterial [...] Read more.
With respect to the potential natural resources in the marine environment, marine macroalgae or seaweeds are recognized to have health impacts. Two marine algae that are found in the Red Sea, Codium tomentosum (Green algae) and Actinotrichia fragilis (Red algae), were collected. Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of aqueous extracts of these algae were evaluated in vitro. Polyphenols from the extracts were determined using HPLC. Fillet fish was fortified with these algal extracts in an attempt to improve its nutritional value, and sensory evaluation was performed. The antibacterial effect of C. tomentosum extract was found to be superior to that of A. fragilis extract. Total phenolic contents of C. tomentosum and A. fragilis aqueous extract were 32.28 ± 1.63 mg/g and 19.96 ± 1.28 mg/g, respectively, while total flavonoid contents were 4.54 ± 1.48 mg/g and 3.86 ± 1.02 mg/g, respectively. Extract of C. tomentosum demonstrates the highest antioxidant activity, with an IC50 value of 75.32 ± 0.07 μg/mL. The IC50 of L-ascorbic acid as a positive control was 22.71 ± 0.03 μg/mL. The IC50 values for inhibiting proliferation on normal PBMC cells were 33.7 ± 1.02 µg/mL and 51.0 ± 1.14 µg/mL for C. tomentosum and A. fragilis, respectively. The results indicated that both algal aqueous extracts were safe, with low toxicity to normal cells. Interestingly, fillet fish fortified with C. tomentosum extract demonstrated the greatest overall acceptance score. These findings highlight the potential of these seaweed species for cultivation as a sustainable and safe source of therapeutic compounds for treating human and fish diseases, as well as effective food supplements and preservatives instead of chemical ones after performing in vivo assays. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characterization of Bioactive Components in Edible Algae 3rd Edition)
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