Microalgal Active Biomolecules

A topical collection in Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

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Editor

Topical Collection Information

Dear colleagues,

In recent decades, microalgae have shown their incredible potential to become an industrial sustainable source of functional bioactive molecules. For example, various microalgal biomolecules such as exopolysaccharides, proteins/peptides, pigments, phenolic compounds, and carotenoids have been described for their pharmaceutical properties against numerous human, animal, and plant diseases. Recently, microalgae have been increasingly studied due to their ecological sustainability, fast replicability, efficiency of scale-up cultivation, and their adaptation ability to environmental conditions. Furthermore, modification of cultivation conditions and genetic engineering processes could also play a very important key role in order to increase the production yield of microalgal bioactive molecules.

This new Topical Collection of Marine Drugs aims to investigate and explore all potentialities of microalgal active compounds and derivatives extracted from all existing marine biotopes.

Consequently, as the collection editor, I invite all scientists working on microalgal fields to contribute to this Marine Drugs collection on “Microalgal Active Biomolecules” by submitting original research and review articles describing: (i) the mains microalgal biomolecule extraction processes and (ii) structural characterizations of bioactive molecules and derivatives (hydrogels, biomaterials, grafting biomolecules, encapsulation, vectorization, etc.) from physicochemical and/or enzymatical processes. In this Topical Collection, the biological mechanism of action and pharmacological characterization from microalgal active biomolecules are mainly welcome.

Prof. Dr. Cédric Delattre
Collection Editor

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 collection 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

  • Biorefinery
  • Biotechnological scale production
  • Exopolysaccharides
  • Microalgae
  • Cyanobacteria
  • Proteins and peptides
  • Pigments
  • Bioactive compounds
  • Carotenoids
  • Mycosporine-like amino acid
  • Anti-oxidant activities
  • Anti-inflammatory activities

Published Papers (3 papers)

2021

Jump to: 2020

23 pages, 630 KiB  
Article
Variability in Macro- and Micronutrients of 15 Commercially Available Microalgae Powders
by Fabian Sandgruber, Annekathrin Gielsdorf, Anja C. Baur, Benjamin Schenz, Sandra Marie Müller, Tanja Schwerdtle, Gabriele I. Stangl, Carola Griehl, Stefan Lorkowski and Christine Dawczynski
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(6), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19060310 - 27 May 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3836
Abstract
The nutrient composition of 15 commercially available microalgae powders of Arthrospira platensis, Chlorella pyrenoidosa and vulgaris, Dunaliella salina, Haematococcus pluvialis, Tetraselmis chuii, and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae was analyzed. The Dunaliella salina powders were characterized by a high content of [...] Read more.
The nutrient composition of 15 commercially available microalgae powders of Arthrospira platensis, Chlorella pyrenoidosa and vulgaris, Dunaliella salina, Haematococcus pluvialis, Tetraselmis chuii, and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae was analyzed. The Dunaliella salina powders were characterized by a high content of carbohydrates, saturated fatty acids (SFAs), omega-6-polyunsaturated fatty acids (n6-PUFAs), heavy metals, and α-tocopherol, whereas the protein amounts, essential amino acids (EAAs), omega-3-PUFAs (n3-PUFAs), vitamins, and minerals were low. In the powder of Haematococcus pluvialis, ten times higher amounts of carotenoids compared to all other analyzed powders were determined, yet it was low in vitamins D and E, protein, and EAAs, and the n6/n3-PUFAs ratio was comparably high. Vitamin B12, quantified as cobalamin, was below 0.02 mg/100 g dry weight (d.w.) in all studied powders. Based on our analysis, microalgae such as Aphanizomenon and Chlorella may contribute to an adequate intake of critical nutrients such as protein with a high content of EAAs, dietary fibers, n3-PUFAs, Ca, Fe, Mg, and Zn, as well as vitamin D and E. Yet, the nutritional value of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae was slightly decreased by high contents of SFAs. The present data show that microalgae are rich in valuable nutrients, but the macro- and micronutrient profiles differ strongly between and within species. Full article
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2020

Jump to: 2021

14 pages, 2873 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Study on the Activity of Phycobiliproteins against Botrytis cinerea
by Hillary Righini, Ornella Francioso, Michele Di Foggia, Antera Martel Quintana and Roberta Roberti
Mar. Drugs 2020, 18(12), 600; https://doi.org/10.3390/md18120600 - 28 Nov 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2591
Abstract
Phycobiliproteins (PBPs) are proteins of cyanobacteria and some algae such as rhodophytes. They have antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory activity at the human level, but there is a lack of knowledge on their antifungal activity against plant pathogens. We studied the activity [...] Read more.
Phycobiliproteins (PBPs) are proteins of cyanobacteria and some algae such as rhodophytes. They have antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory activity at the human level, but there is a lack of knowledge on their antifungal activity against plant pathogens. We studied the activity of PBPs extracted from Arthrospiraplatensis and Hydropuntiacornea against Botrytiscinerea, one of the most important worldwide plant-pathogenic fungi. PBPs were characterized by using FT-IR and FT-Raman in order to investigate their structures. Their spectra differed in the relative composition in the amide bands, which were particularly strong in A. platensis. PBP activity was tested on tomato fruits against gray mold disease, fungal growth, and spore germination at different concentrations (0.3, 0.6, 1.2, 2.4, and 4.8 mg/mL). Both PBPs reduced fruit gray mold disease. A linear dose–response relationship was observed for both PBPs against disease incidence and H. cornea against disease severity. Pathogen mycelial growth and spore germination were reduced significantly by both PBPs. In conclusion, PBPs have the potential for being also considered as natural compounds for the control of fungal plant pathogens in sustainable agriculture. Full article
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22 pages, 5913 KiB  
Article
Spirulina maxima Derived Pectin Nanoparticles Enhance the Immunomodulation, Stress Tolerance, and Wound Healing in Zebrafish
by Dinusha C. Rajapaksha, Shan L. Edirisinghe, Chamilani Nikapitiya, SHS Dananjaya, Hyo-Jung Kwun, Cheol-Hee Kim, Chulhong Oh, Do-Hyung Kang and Mahanama De Zoysa
Mar. Drugs 2020, 18(11), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/md18110556 - 07 Nov 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3505
Abstract
In this study, Spirulina maxima derived pectin nanoparticles (SmPNPs) were synthesized and multiple biological effects were investigated using in vitro and in vivo models. SmPNPs were not toxic to Raw 264.7 cells and zebrafish embryos up to 1 mg/mL and 200 µg/mL, respectively. [...] Read more.
In this study, Spirulina maxima derived pectin nanoparticles (SmPNPs) were synthesized and multiple biological effects were investigated using in vitro and in vivo models. SmPNPs were not toxic to Raw 264.7 cells and zebrafish embryos up to 1 mg/mL and 200 µg/mL, respectively. SmPNPs upregulated Il 10, Cat, Sod 2, Def 1, Def 2, and Muc 1 in Raw 264.7 cells and tlr2, tlr4b, tlr5b, il1β, tnfα, cxcl8a, cxcl18b, ccl34a.4, ccl34b.4, muc5.1, muc5.2, muc5.3, hamp, cstd, hsp70, cat, and sod1 in the larvae and adult zebrafish, suggesting immunomodulatory activity. Exposure of larvae to SmPNPs followed by challenge with pathogenic bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila resulted a two-fold reduction of reactive oxygen species, indicating reduced oxidative stress compared to that in the control group. The cumulative percent survival of larvae exposed to SmPNPs (50 µg/mL) and adults fed diet supplemented with SmPNPs (4%) was 53.3% and 76.7%, respectively. Topical application of SmPNPs on adult zebrafish showed a higher wound healing percentage (48.9%) compared to that in the vehicle treated group (38.8%). Upregulated wound healing markers (tgfβ1, timp2b, mmp9, tnfα, il1β,ccl34a.4, and ccl34b.4), enhanced wound closure, and restored pigmentation indicated wound healing properties of SmPNPs. Overall, results uncover the multiple bioactivities of SmPNPs, which could be a promising biocompatible candidate for broad range of aquatic and human therapies. Full article
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