Seasonal Changes in Essential Oil Constituents of Cystoseira compressa: First Report

Marine macroalgae are well known to release a wide spectrum of volatile organic components, the release of which is affected by environmental factors. This paper aimed to identify the essential oil (EO) compounds of the brown algae Cystoseira compressa collected in the Adriatic Sea monthly, from May until August. EOs were isolated by hydrodistillation using a Clavenger-type apparatus and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS). One hundred four compounds were identified in the volatile fraction of C. compressa, accounting for 84.37–89.43% of the total oil. Samples from May, June, and July were characterized by a high share of fatty acids (56, 69, and 34% respectively) with palmitic acid being the dominant one, while in the August sample, a high content of alcohols (mainly phytol and oleyl alcohol) was found. Changes in the other minor components, which could be important for the overall aroma and biological activities of the algal samples, have also been noted during the vegetation periods. The results of this paper contribute to studies of algal EOs and present the first report on C. compressa EOs.     

Antioxidant and Antisteatotic Activities of Fucoidan Fractions from Marine and Terrestrial Sources

Fucoidan is a fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharide typically found in the cell wall of marine algae but also recently isolated from terrestrial sources. Due to a variety of biological activities, including antioxidant properties, fucoidan exhibits an attractive therapeutic potential against a wide array of metabolic diseases associated with oxidative stress. We used FTIR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy to investigate the structural features of a fucoidan fraction extracted from the brown alga Cystoseira compressa (CYS). The antioxidant potential of CYS was measured by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays, which revealed a radical scavenging capacity that was confirmed in in vitro cellular models of hepatic and endothelial cells. The same antioxidant effects were observed for another fucoidan fraction previously identified in the terrestrial tree Eucalyptus globulus (EUC). Moreover, in hepatic cells, CYS and EUC exhibited a significant antisteatotic action, being able to reduce intracellular triglyceride content through the regulation of key genes of hepatic lipid metabolism. EUC exerted stronger antioxidant and antisteatotic effects as compared to CYS, suggesting that both marine and terrestrial sources should be considered for fucoidan extraction and therapeutic applications.     

Synthesis and disproof of the structure proposed for the tetrahydrofuranol isolated from Michelia compressa var. lanyuensis (Magnoliaceae)

The previously proposed structure for a tetrahydrofuranol isolated from the leaves of Michelia compressa var. lanyuensis (Magnoliaceae) was synthesised in an enantiopure form using diethyl D-tartarate as the starting material. The synthetic sample showed spectroscopic data incompatible with those for the natural product and thus unequivocally disproved the previously assigned structure.     

Ultrasound-assisted biosynthesis of CuO-NPs using brown alga Cystoseira trinodis: Characterization,photocatalytic AOP,DPPH scavenging and antibacterial investigations

This contribution reports the biosynthesis of CuO NPs via ultrasound method using the Cystoseira trinodis extracts as an eco friendly and time saving process. The characterization of cupric oxide NPs was performed using XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, TEM, AFM, photoluminescence, UV–Vis, Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy investigations. SEM images show the spherical structure with the average crystallite size 6 nm to 7.8 nm of CuO. XRD analysis approved the formation of pure monoclinic crystallite structures of CuO NPs. These observations were confirmed by TEM analysis. The photocatalytic studies reveal the activity of the prepared CuO NPs as an efficient catalyst for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in the presence of UV and Sunlight. CuO NPs under varying experimental parameters such as dye concentration, catalytic load, pH. The results of the in vitro biological screening effect of CuO NPs (zone of growth inhibition and minimal inhibitory concentrations) in comparison with cephalexin (as a standard compound) using the disc diffusion method was demonstrated the significant bactericidal activity against some bacteria strain including Escherichia coli (E. coli), Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), and Streptococcus faecalis (S. faecalis). Furthermore, the Nps found to inhibit the activity of 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals effectively. This study introduces a facile, green and low coast method for the synthesis of monoclinic CuO NPs with catalytic, antioxidant and antibacterial properties.     

A new cyclostellettamine from sponge Amphimedon compressa

A new compound,8,8′-dienecyclostellettamine,was isolated from the marine sponge Amphimedon compressa.Its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic methods including ID and 2D NMR,UV,IR,ESI-MS,MALDI-MS techniques.It is probably an important precursor of the manzamine alkoids,and also showed vigorous antibacterial activities.     

Report of in vitro antileishmanial properties of Iberian macroalgae

Here is reported the anti Leishmania infantum activity of 48 hexane, CH₂Cl₂ and MeOH extracts from 16 macroalgae collected on the Iberian Coast. Seven hexane and CH₂Cl₂ Cystoseira baccata, Cystoseira barbata, Cystoseira tamariscifolia, Cystoseira usneoides, Dictyota spiralis and Plocamium cartilagineum extracts were active towards promastigotes (IC₅₀ 29.8–101.8 μg/mL) inducing strong morphological alterations in the parasites. Hexane extracts of C. baccata and C. barbata were also active against intracellular amastigotes (IC₅₀ 5.1 and 6.8 μg/mL, respectively). Fatty acids, triacylglycerols, carotenoids, steroids and meroterpenoids were detected by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and gas chromatography in the Cystoseira extracts. These results suggest that Cystoseira macroalgae contain compounds with antileishmanial activity, which could be explored as scaffolds to the development of novel sources of antiparasitic derivatives.     

Fatty acid profile of different species of algae of the Cystoseira genus: a nutraceutical perspective

The fatty acid (FA) composition of six macroalgae from the Cystoseira genus, namely Cystoseira compressa, Cystoseira humilis, Cystoseira tamariscifolia, Cystoseira nodicaulis, Cystoseira baccata and Cystoseira barbata, was determined. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) corresponded to 29–46% of the total FA detected. C. compressa, C. tamariscifolia and C. nodicaulis stood out for their low PUFA/saturated fatty acid, low n-6 PUFA/n-3 PUFA ratios as well as favourable unsaturation, atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices, suggesting a high nutritional value with potential applications in the nutraceutical industry.