Effective form of sulfoquinovosyldiacyglycerol (SQDG) vesicles for DNA polymerase inhibition

Characterization of Neochloris oleoabundans under Different Cultivation Modes and First Results on Bioactivity of Its Extracts against HCoV-229E Virus

Microalgae are proposed in several biotechnological fields because of their ability to produce biomass enriched in high-value compounds according to cultivation conditions. Regarding the health sector, an emerging area focuses on natural products exploitable against viruses. This work deals with the characterization of the green microalga Neochloris oleoabundans cultivated under autotrophic and mixotrophic conditions as a source of whole aqueous extracts, tested as antivirals against HCoV-229E (Coronaviridae family). Glucose was employed for mixotrophic cultures. Growth and maximum quantum yield of photosystem II were monitored for both cultivations. Algae extracts for antiviral tests were prepared using cultures harvested at the early stationary phase of growth. Biochemical and morphological analyses of algae indicated a different content of the most important classes of bioactive compounds with antiviral properties (lipids, exo-polysaccharides, and total phenolics, proteins and pigments). To clarify which phase of HCoV-229E infection on MRC-5 fibroblast cells was affected by N. oleoabundans extracts, four conditions were tested. Extracts gave excellent results, mainly against the first steps of virus infection. Notwithstanding the biochemical profile of algae/extracts deserves further investigation, the antiviral effect may have been mainly promoted by the combination of proteins/pigments/phenolics for the extract derived from autotrophic cultures and of proteins/acidic exo-polysaccharides/lipids in the case of mixotrophic ones.

Evaluation of Microalgae Antiviral Activity and Their Bioactive Compounds

During the last year, science has been focusing on the research of antivirally active compounds overall after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which caused a great amount of deaths and the downfall of the economy in 2020. Photosynthetic organisms such as microalgae are known to be a reservoir of bioactive secondary metabolites; this feature, coupled with the possibility of achieving very high biomass levels without excessive energetic expenses, make microalgae worthy of attention in the search for new molecules with antiviral effects. In this work, the antiviral effects of microalgae against some common human or animal viruses were considered, focusing our attention on some possible effects against SARS-CoV-2. We summed up the data from the literature on microalgae antiviral compounds, from the most common ones, such as lectins, polysaccharides and photosynthetic pigments, to the less known ones, such as unidentified proteins. We have discussed the effects of a microalgae-based genetic engineering approach against some viral diseases. We have illustrated the potential antiviral benefits of a diet enriched in microalgae.

Preparation, Supramolecular Aggregation and Immunological Activity of the Bona Fide Vaccine Adjuvant Sulfavant S

In aqueous conditions, amphiphilic bioactive molecules are able to form self-assembled colloidal structures modifying their biological activity. This behavior is generally neglected in preclinical studies, despite its impact on pharmacological development. In this regard, a significative example is represented by a new class of amphiphilic marine-inspired vaccine adjuvants, collectively named Sulfavants, based on the β-sulfoquinovosyl-diacylglyceride skeleton. The family includes the lead product Sulfavant A (1) and two epimers, Sulfavant R (2) and Sulfavant S (3), differing only for the stereochemistry at C-2 of glycerol. The three compounds showed a significant difference in immunological potency, presumably correlated with change of the aggregates in water. Here, a new synthesis of diastereopure 3 was achieved, and the study of the immunomodulatory behavior of mixtures of 2/3 proved that the bizarre in vitro response to 1–3 effectively depends on the supramolecular aggregation states, likely affecting the bioavailability of agonists that can effectively interact with the cellular targets. The evidence obtained with the mixture of pure Sulfavant R (2) and Sulfavant S (3) proves, for the first time, that supramolecular organization of a mixture of active epimers in aqueous solution can bias evaluation of their biological and pharmacological potential.

Diasteroselective Colloidal Self-Assembly Affects the Immunological Response of the Molecular Adjuvant Sulfavant

Adjuvants are components of vaccine that enhance the specific immune response against co-inoculated antigens. Recently, we reported the characterization of a synthetic sulfolipid named Sulfavant A (1) as a promising candidate of a novel class of molecular adjuvants based on the sulfoquinovosyl-diacylglycerol skeleton. Here, we report an improved synthesis of the sulfolipid scaffold, as well as the preparation of two analogs named Sulfavant-S (2) and Sulfavant-R (3) with enhanced property to modulate master immune targets such as human dendritic cells (DCs). According to the present approach, synthesis of 1 is reduced from 14 to 11 steps with nearly triplication of the overall yield (11%). The new members 2 and 3 elicit DC maturation at a concentration of 10 nM, which is 1000 times more potent than the parent molecule 1. Analysis of dynamic light scattering indicates self-assembly of Sulfavants and formation of colloidal particles with a small hydrodynamic radius (50 nm) for the epimers 2 and 3 and a larger radius (150 nm) for 1. The colloidal aggregates are responsible for the bell-shaped dose-response curve of these products. We conclude that the particle size also affects the equilibrium with free monomers, thus determining the effective concentration of the sulfolipid molecule at the cellular targets and the different immunological efficacy of 1-3. Sulfavants (1-3) do not show in vitro cytotoxicity at concentrations 10⁵ higher than the dose that triggers maximal immune response, thus predicting a low level of toxicological risk in their formulation in vaccines.

Natural Products from Microalgae with Potential against Alzheimer's Disease: Sulfolipids Are Potent Glutaminyl Cyclase Inhibitors

In recent years, many new enzymes, like glutaminyl cyclase (QC), could be associated with pathophysiological processes and represent targets for many diseases, so that enzyme-inhibiting properties of natural substances are becoming increasingly important. In different studies, the pathophysiology connection of QC to various diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD) was described. Algae are known for the ability to synthesize complex and highly-diverse compounds with specific enzyme inhibition properties. Therefore, we screened different algae species for the presence of QC inhibiting metabolites using a new "Reverse Metabolomics" technique including an Activity-correlation Analysis (AcorA), which is based on the correlation of bioactivities to mass spectral data with the aid of mathematic informatics deconvolution. Thus, three QC inhibiting compounds from microalgae belonging to the family of sulfolipids were identified. The compounds showed a QC inhibition of 81% and 76% at concentrations of 0.25 mg/mL and 0.025 mg/mL, respectively. Thus, for the first time, sulfolipids are identified as QC inhibiting compounds and possess substructures with the required pharmacophore qualities. They represent a new lead structure for QC inhibitors.

Characterization by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry of the lipid fraction of Spirulina platensis pressurized ethanol extract

Microalgae have been suggested as a potential source for new functional ingredients, making possible the development of new functional foods from natural origin. Among the natural ingredients, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have generally been identified as an interesting group of compounds with biological activity, mainly related to their anti-inflammatory properties. In this regard, the use of environmentally friendly extraction procedures (e.g. pressurized liquid extraction, PLE) to obtain such natural ingredients is also becoming necessary. In this work, an exhaustive characterization of the lipid fraction of a pressurized ethanolic extract of the microalga Spirulina platensis is carried out. To achieve this objective high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS) is employed. The use of the QTOF analyzer allows the selection and isolation of precursor ions as well as providing the high efficiency, sensitivity and mass accuracy required. By means of this powerful hyphenated technique, it was possible to identify several polar lipids in an extract of S. platensis (some of them, to our knowledge, described for the first time in this work), including four free fatty acids, four monogalactosyl monoacylglycerols, three phosphatidylglycerols and two sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerols.