Heart health peptides from macroalgae and their potential use in functional foods

Proteins and Carbohydrates from Red Seaweeds: Evidence for Beneficial Effects on Gut Function and Microbiota

Based on their composition, marine algae, and namely red seaweeds, are good potential functional foods. Intestinal mucosal barrier function refers to the capacity of the intestine to provide adequate containment of luminal microorganisms and molecules. Here, we will first outline the component of seaweeds and will summarize the effects of these on the regulation of mucosal barrier function. Special attention will be paid to unique components of red seaweeds: proteins and derived peptides (e.g., phycobiliproteins, glycoproteins that contain “cellulose binding domains”, phycolectins and the related mycosporine-like amino acids) together with polysaccharides (e.g., floridean starch and sulfated galactans, such as carrageenans, agarans and “dl-hybrid”) and minerals. These compounds have been shown to exert prebiotic effects, to regulate intestinal epithelial cell, macrophage and lymphocyte proliferation and differentiation and to modulate the immune response. Molecular mechanisms of action of peptides and polysaccharides are starting to be elucidated, and evidence indicating the involvement of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR), Toll-like receptors (TLR) and signal transduction pathways mediated by protein kinase B (PKB or AKT), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) will also be summarized. The need for further research is clear, but in vivo experiments point to an overall antiinflammatory effect of these algae, indicating that they can reinforce membrane barrier function.

Incremental amounts of Ascophyllum nodosum meal do not improve animal performance but do increase milk iodine output in early lactation dairy cows fed high-forage diets

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of incremental amounts of Ascophyllum nodosum meal (ANOD) on milk production, milk composition including fatty acids and I, blood metabolites, and nutrient intake and digestibility in early lactation dairy cows fed high-forage diets. Twelve multiparous Jersey cows averaging (mean±standard deviation) 40±21 d in milk and 464±35 kg of body weight and 4 primiparous Jersey cows averaging 75±37 d in milk and 384±17kg of body weight were randomly assigned to treatment sequences in a replicated 4×4 Latin square design. Each period lasted 21 d with 14 d for diet adaptation and 7 d for data and sample collection. Cows were fed a total mixed ration (64:36 forage-to-concentrate ratio) supplemented (as fed) with 0, 57, 113, or 170 g/d of ANOD. Milk yield as well as concentrations and yields of milk components (fat, protein, lactose, milk urea N) were not affected by increasing dietary amounts of ANOD. Concentration (from 178 to 1,370 µg/L) and yield (from 2.8 to 20.6 mg/d) of milk I increased linearly in cows fed incremental amounts of ANOD as a result of the high concentration of I (820 mg/kg of dry matter) in ANOD. Overall, only minor changes were observed in the proportion of milk fatty acids with ANOD supplementation. Quadratic trends were observed for dry matter intake and total-tract digestibilities of organic matter and neutral detergent fiber, whereas negative linear trends were observed for serum concentration of cortisol and crude protein digestibility with ANOD supplementation. Serum concentrations of triiodothyronine and thyroxine were not affected by ANOD supplementation and averaged 1.1 and 48.4 ng/mL, respectively. However, feeding increasing amounts of ANOD linearly reduced the plasma concentration of nonesterified fatty acids (from 164 to 132 mEq/L). Quadratic effects were found for the total-tract digestibility of ADF and urinary output of purine derivatives, suggesting that ANOD supplementation may stimulate growth of ruminal cellulolytic bacteria in a dose-dependent fashion. In general, feeding incremental amounts of ANOD to early lactation dairy cows dramatically increased milk I concentration and output with no effect on animal performance.

Extraction and Purification of R-phycoerythrin from Marine Red Algae

This chapter focuses on the recovery of an R-Phycoerythrin (R-PE)-enriched fraction from marine algae. Since R-PE is a proteinaceous pigment, we have developed a simple and rapid two-step method devoted to the extraction and purification of R-PE from marine red algae. Here we describe a phosphate buffer extraction followed by anion exchange chromatography carried on a DEAE Sepharose Fast Flow column. To ensure the quality and quantity of R-PE recovery, we also indicate different methods to monitor each fraction obtained, such as spectrophotometric indicators, gel filtration, and SDS-PAGE analysis.

Enzyme-assisted extraction of κ/ι-hybrid carrageenan from Mastocarpus stellatus for obtaining bioactive ingredients and their application for edible active film development

Two hydrolysates were obtained from dried Mastocarpus stellatus using alcalase. The phenolic content was partially removed from one of them. The phenolic-partially-removed hydrolysate (H) was found to be a potent angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. However, the phenolic-containing hydrolysate (Hp) showed a higher Folin-reactive substance content and antioxidant capacity (reducing power and radical scavenging capacity). Hp was therefore selected for the development of antioxidant Mastocarpus carrageenan-based films. F-Hp0 (without the hydrolysate), F-Hp15 (with 15% hydrolysate) and F-Hp30 (with 30% hydrolysate) films were developed. κ/ι-hybrid carrageenan was the main film constituent and hydrolysate addition resulted in an increased sulfated proportion, higher protein content and higher number of hydrogen bonds. Therefore interactions between carrageenan helices, plasticizers and peptides in the film-forming solution were enhanced, especially in F-Hp15, and consequently the water vapour permeability (WVP) of the resulting film decreased. Nevertheless, F-Hp30 considerably improved the transparency, UV/Vis light barrier, water resistance and elongation at break (EAB). The presence of Hp increased both puncture force (F) and puncture elongation (E), but not tensile strength (TS) or Young's modulus (Y). The addition of an increased concentration of hydrolysate to the films led to a considerable increase in the Folin-reactive substance content and the antioxidant activity, especially the radical scavenging capacity.

24(S)-Saringosterol from edible marine seaweed Sargassum fusiforme is a novel selective LXRβ agonist

Dietary phytosterols have been successfully used for lowering cholesterol levels, which correlates with the fact that some phytosterols are able to act as liver X receptor (LXR) agonists. Sargassum fusiforme is an edible marine seaweed well-known for its antiatherosclerotic function in traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, seven phytosterols including fucosterol (1), saringosterol (2), 24-hydroperoxy-24-vinyl-cholesterol (3), 29-hydroperoxy-stigmasta-5,24(28)-dien-3β-ol (4), 24-methylene-cholesterol (5), 24-keto-cholesterol (6), and 5α,8α-epidioxyergosta-6,22-dien-3β-ol (7) were purified and evaluated for their actions on LXR-mediated transcription using a reporter assay. Among these phytosterols, 2 was the most potent compound in stimulating the transcriptional activities of LXRα by (3.81±0.15)-fold and LXRβ by (14.40±1.10)-fold, respectively. Two epimers of 2, 24(S)-saringosterol (2a) and 24(R)-saringosterol (2b), were subsequently separated by semipreparative high-performance liquid chromatography. Interestingly, 2a was more potent than 2b in LXRβ-mediated transactivation ((3.50±0.17)-fold vs (1.63±0.12)-fold) compared with control. Consistently, 2a induced higher expression levels of LXR target genes including key players in reverse cholesterol transport in six cell lines. These data along with molecular modeling suggested that 2a acts as a selective LXRβ agonist and is a potent natural cholesterol-lowering agent. This study also demonstrated that phytosterols in S. fusiforme contributed to the well-known antiatherosclerotic function.

Analysis of iodine content in seaweed by GC-ECD and estimation of iodine intake

Edible seaweed products have been consumed in many Asian countries. Edible seaweeds accumulate iodine from seawater, and are therefore a good dietary source of iodine. An adequate consumption of seaweed can eliminate iodine deficiency disorders, but excessive iodine intake is not good for health. The recommended dietary reference intake of 0.15 mg/ d and 0.14 mg/d for iodine has been established in the United States and Taiwan, respectively. In this study, 30 samples of seaweed were surveyed for iodine content. The samples included 10 nori (Porphyra), 10 wakame (Undaria), and 10 kombu (Laminaria) products. The iodine in seaweed was derivatized with 3-pentanone and detected by gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The method detection limit was 0.5 mg/kg. The iodine content surveyed for nori was 29.3–45.8 mg/kg, for wakame 93.9–185.1 mg/kg, and for kombu 241–4921 mg/kg. Kombu has the highest average iodine content 2523.5 mg/kg, followed by wakame (139.7 mg/kg) and nori (36.9 mg/kg). The GC-ECD method developed in this study is a low-cost alternative to inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy for iodine detection in seaweeds. The iodine intake from seaweed in the current survey was calculated and compared with the iodine dietary reference intake of Taiwan. The risk and benefit of seaweed consumption is also discussed.

Asn-Trp dipeptides improve the oxidative stress and learning dysfunctions ind-galactose-induced BALB/c mice

Asn-Trp (NW) interventions for 4 weeks can attenuate the oxidative stress and learning dysfunctions induced by dailyd-galactose subcutaneous injection for 8 weeks.

Effects of sample pretreatments on EPR spectral characteristics of irradiated sea algae – an advanced approach to identify irradiation status

Different sea algae, such as sea tangle, seaweed, and sea mustard were gamma-irradiated at 1, 5, and 10 kGy.

Seaweeds as potential therapeutic interventions for the metabolic syndrome

Seaweeds are a characteristic part of the traditional diet in countries such as Japan and Korea; these countries also have a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome than countries such as the USA and Australia. This suggests that seaweeds may contain compounds that reduce the characteristic signs of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver and inflammation in the metabolic syndrome. Potentially bioactive compounds from seaweeds include polysaccharides, peptides, pigments, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids. This review emphasises current research on these compounds in isolated cells, animal models and patients. Key problems for future research include chemical characterisation of the bioactive principles, defining pharmacological responses in all aspects of the metabolic syndrome, determining if a therapeutic dose has been administered, and defining oral bioavailability of the active ingredients.

In vitro antioxidant properties of crude extracts and compounds from brown algae

Research on the bioactives from seaweeds has increased in recent years. Antioxidant activity is one of the most studied, due to the interest of these compounds both as preservatives and protectors against oxidation in food and cosmetics and also due to their health implications, mainly in relation to their potential as functional ingredients. Brown algae present higher antioxidant potential in comparison with red and green families and contain compounds not found in terrestrial sources. In vitro antioxidant chemical methods, used as a first approach to evaluate potential agents to protect from lipid oxidation in foods, confirmed that the brown algae crude extracts, fractions and pure components are comparatively similar or superior to synthetic antioxidants. Particular emphasis on the fucoidan and phlorotannin polymeric fractions is given, considering variations associated with the species, collection area, season, and extraction and purification technologies.

Optimization of hydrolysis conditions of Palmaria palmata to enhance R-phycoerythrin extraction

In this study, response surface methodology was applied to optimize R-phycoerythrin extraction from the red seaweed Palmaria palmata, using enzymatic digestion. Several algal treatments prior to digestion were first investigated. The extraction yield and the purity index of R-phycoerythrin, and the recovery of proteins and reducing sugars in the water-soluble fraction were then studied in relation to the hydrolysis time, the temperature and the enzyme/seaweed ratio. Enzymatic digestion appears to be an effective treatment for R-phycoerythrin extraction. Moreover, using the seaweed roughly cut in its wet form gives the most interesting results in terms of extract quality and economic cost. The R-phycoerythrin extraction yield is 62 times greater than without enzyme treatment and 16 times greater than without optimization. Enzymatic optimization enhanced the purity index up to 16 times.