Abstract
Although the genus Asparagopsis includes only two taxonomically accepted species, the published literature is unanimous about the invasive nature of this genus in different regions of the globe, and about the availability of large amounts of biomass for which it is important to find a commercial application. This review shows that extracts from Asparagospsis species have already been evaluated for antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antifouling, cytotoxic, antimethanogenic and enzyme-inhibitory activity. However, the tables presented herein show, with few exceptions, that the activity level displayed is generally low when compared with positive controls. Studies involving pure compounds being identified in Asparagopsis species are rare. The chemical compositions of most of the evaluated extracts are unknown. At best, the families of the compounds present are suggested. This review also shows that the volatile halogenated compounds, fatty acids and sterols that are biosynthesized by the Asparagopsis species are relatively well known. Many other non-volatile metabolites (halogen compounds, flavonoids, other phenolic compounds) seem to be produced by these species, but their chemical structures and properties haven’been investigated. This shows how much remains to be investigated regarding the secondary-metabolite composition of these species, suggesting further studies following more targeted methodologies.
Highlights
Many of these compounds have human health benefits and commercial interest. Those that help prevent cardiovascular disease [13], such as the tripeptides IPP and VPP, which are used as bioactive agents in the commercial products Ameal-S 120® from Japan and Evolus® from Finland to control blood pressure [14,15]. Another example is the product Invincity®, which incorporates sulphated polysaccharides with iodine and bromine groups extracted from Asparagopsis armata as an anti-acne agent [16]
Preliminary work on the genetic characterization of Asparagopsis spp. was done by Chualaín et al [32], who found that the analysis of small subunit rRNA sequences and restriction-fragment-length polymorphisms (RFLPs) allowed distinction between A. armata and A. taxiformis, and that RFLP analysis allowed the distinction of two clades of A. taxiformis, one found in tropical locations and another in temperate locations
The results obtained for 100 g of dry weight were as follows: chlorophyll a—28.21 mg; carotenoids—13.14 mg; total phenolic compounds (TPCs)—57.63 mg gallic-acid equivalent/100 g dry biomass; total flavonoid content (TFC)—19.26 mg quercetin equivalent/100 g dry biomass [140], while Sahnouni et al [183] obtained the values of 14.11 ± 0.02 mg gallic-acid equivalent/g extract and 8.86 ± 0.006 mg quercetin equivalent/g extract to TPC and TFC, respectively
Summary
According to the AlgaeBase database [31], the genus Asparagopsis, belonging to the order Bonnemaisoniales of the phylum Rhodophyta (red algae), includes three taxonomically accepted species: Asparagopsis armata Harvey, Asparagopsis svedelii Taylor and Asparagopsis taxiformis Trevisan. One reason for the researchers’ raised curiosity about the genus Asparagopsis is the fact that A. armata was the first red alga in which a heteromorphic life cycle was observed [35] This life cycle includes the filamentous “genus” Falkenbergia. Preliminary work on the genetic characterization of Asparagopsis spp. was done by Chualaín et al [32], who found that the analysis of small subunit rRNA sequences and restriction-fragment-length polymorphisms (RFLPs) allowed distinction between A. armata and A. taxiformis, and that RFLP analysis allowed the distinction of two clades of A. taxiformis, one found in tropical locations and another in temperate locations More on this topic can be found in the review by Zanolla et al [39], which highlights the fact that, despite comprising very few species, the genus Asparagopsis displays remarkable genetic diversity.
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