Sardine Roe as a Source of Lipids To Produce Liposomes

Marine polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and silica for drug delivery systems: A review

Marine environments represent an incredible source of biopolymers with potential biomedical applications. Recently, drug delivery studies have received great attention for the increasing need to improve site specificity, therapeutic value, and bioavailability, reducing off-target effects. Marine polymers, such as alginate, carrageenan, collagen, chitosan, and silica, have reported unique biochemical features, allowing an efficient binding with drugs, and a controlled release to the target tissue, also obtainable through "green processes". In the present review, we i) analysed the last ten years of scientific peer-reviewed literature; ii) divided the articles based on the achieved experimental phases, tagged as chemistry, drug release, and drug delivery, and iii) compared the best performances among marine polymers extracted from micro- and macro-organisms. Many reviews describe drug carriers from marine organisms, focusing on a single biopolymer or a chemical class. Our study is a groundbreaking literature collection, representing the first thorough investigation of all marine biopolymers described. Most articles report experimental results on the chemical characterisation of marine biopolymers and their in vitro behaviour as drug carriers, although development processes and commercial applications are still in the early stages. Hence, the next efforts should be focused on the sustainable production of marine polymers and final product development.

Aqueous Extracts of Fish Roe as a Source of Several Bioactive Compounds

Regular consumption of seafood and, in particular, fish has been associated with important health benefits. A fish product that has been increasingly included in the human nutrition is roe. Despite its nutritional value has been established (fatty acid profile and protein content), the knowledge of the composition of its aqueous extracts is still limited. This work describes the bioactive compounds profile in the roe-derived aqueous extracts of three different marine species (sardine, horse mackerel and sea bass) using a method based on liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry with an electrospray ionisation source (LC-ESI/HRMS). The presence of substances with well-known nutritional and functional properties (e.g., antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) was demonstrated, namely essential amino acids (e.g., taurine), peptides (e.g., anserine and carnosine), B-group vitamins (e.g., nicotinamide) and gadusol. Therefore, roe-derived aqueous extracts are excellent sources of bioactive compounds and may be used as a font of functional components for several medical and veterinary applications.

Erythrocyte-derived liposomes for the treatment of inflammatory diseases

Effective and safe therapies to counteract persistent inflammation are necessary. We developed erythrocyte-derived liposomes (EDLs) with intrinsic anti-inflammatory activity. The EDLs were prepared using lipids extracted from erythrocyte membranes, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids with several health benefits. Diclofenac, a widely used anti-inflammatory drug, was incorporated into EDLs in relevant therapeutic concentrations. The EDLs were also functionalized with folic acid to allow their active targeting of M1 macrophages, which are key players in inflammatory processes. In the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages, empty EDLs and EDLs incorporating diclofenac were able to reduce the levels of important pro-inflammatory cytokines, namely interleukin-6 (IL-6; ≈85% and 77%, respectively) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α; ≈64% and 72%, respectively). Strikingly, cytocompatible concentrations of EDLs presented similar effects to dexamethasone, a potent anti-inflammatory drug, in reducing IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations, demonstrating the EDLs potential to be used as bioactive carriers in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Natural Biomaterials from Biodiversity for Healthcare Applications

Natural biomaterials originating during the growth cycles of all living organisms have been used for many applications. They span from bioinert to bioactive materials including bioinspired ones. As they exhibit an increasing degree of sophistication, natural biomaterials have proven suitable to address the needs of the healthcare sector. Here the different natural healthcare biomaterials, their biodiversity sources, properties, and promising healthcare applications are reviewed. The variability of their properties as a result of considered species and their habitat is also discussed. Finally, some limitations of natural biomaterials are discussed and possible future developments are provided as more natural biomaterials are yet to be discovered and studied.

Fishroesomes as carriers with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory bioactivities

The great diversity of marine habitats and organisms renders them a high-value source to find/develop novel drugs and formulations. Therefore, herein, sardine (Sardina pilchardus) roe was used as a lipidic source to produce liposomes. This fish product presents high nutritional value, being its lipidic content associated with important health benefits. Consequently, it can be advantageously used to produce therapeutically active delivery devices. Roe lipids were extracted using the Matyash method. After lipid film hydration and extrusion, sardine roe-derived large unilamellar liposomes (LUVs), designated as fishroesomes, presented a size of ≈330 nm and a significant negative surface charge (≈-27 mV). Radical scavenging assays demonstrated that fishroesomes efficiently neutralized peroxyl, hydroxyl and nitric oxide radicals. Moreover, fishroesomes significantly reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by LPS-stimulated macrophages at non-toxic concentrations for L929 and THP-1 cells. Consequently, the developed liposomes exhibit unique properties as bioactive drug carriers for inflammatory diseases treatment.

Fatty Acid Composition of the Lipids from Atlantic Salmon-Comparison of Two Extraction Methods without Halogenated Solvents

The scope of this paper was to apply two recently developed methods for lipid extraction: the methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) method and the BUME method. These two methods do not include halogenated solvents, which makes them less hazardous to the environment, less toxic, and needed in less volume compared to the standard methods for lipid extraction. Fatty acid composition of the lipids from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar Linnæus, 1758) was obtained by both procedures. The methods were effective and thirty-three fatty acids were identified. The amounts of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids obtained by the MTBE method were found to be similar to the overall mean values observed in farmed salmon. The yield of the total lipids obtained by the BUME method was 13% lower. Although the methods involved different solvents, they showed similar fatty acids profile of the lipids from Atlantic salmon. Both methods were validated and some practical challenges were discussed.