Abstract
Carrageenans are thickening and gelling agents that may provide health benefits. Iota (ι)-carrageenan, a linear sulfated polysaccharide, is produced by the red seaweed, Sarconema filiforme. This study investigated the potential of this seaweed as a functional food for the reversal of metabolic syndrome and possible mechanisms. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups in a 16-week protocol: corn starch diet-fed rats (C); C rats supplemented with 5% S. filiforme for the last 8 weeks (CSF); high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-fed rats (H); and H rats supplemented with 5% S. filiforme for the last 8 weeks (HSF). S. filiforme was produced in tank-based aquaculture yielding 27 g dry weight/day/m2 of culture area. H rats developed obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, glucose intolerance, fatty liver and increased left ventricular collagen deposition. S. filiforme supplementation decreased body weight, abdominal and liver fat, systolic blood pressure, plasma total cholesterol concentrations, and plasma activities of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase. S. filiforme supplementation modulated gut microbiota without changing the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio. S. filiforme improved symptoms of high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats. Possible mechanisms include a reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells into organs as well as prebiotic actions in the gastrointestinal tract.
Highlights
Carrageenans are a group of high molecular weight (>100 kDa) sulfated polygalactans isolated from red seaweeds (Rhodophyceae) that are “generally regarded as safe” for routine use as gelling andMar
The relative abundance of bacteria belonging to the phylum Proteobacteria and family Desulfovibrionaceae was positively correlated to epididymal fat, kidney weight, liver weight, oral glucose tolerance 120-minute blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance area under the curve, omental fat, retroperitoneal fat, systolic blood pressure and total abdominal fat. This project demonstrates that local Australian cultivation of S. filiforme produced significant and reliable yields of biomass in intensive tank-based culture, which can potentially be a source of commercial quantities of ι-carrageenan
Rats fed a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet supplemented with S. filiforme as a source of ι-carrageenan decreased body weight, systolic blood pressure, abdominal and liver fat and plasma total cholesterol concentrations compared to H controls
Summary
Carrageenans are a group of high molecular weight (>100 kDa) sulfated polygalactans isolated from red seaweeds (Rhodophyceae) that are “generally regarded as safe” for routine use as gelling and. Mar. Drugs 2020, 18, 97; doi:10.3390/md18020097 www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs. Mar. Drugs 2020, 18, 97 thickening agents in foods [1]. The three types of carrageenans, named kappa (κ), iota (ι) and lambda (λ), have one, two and three sulfate groups per disaccharide unit, respectively [1]. The major commercially cultivated warm-water species for carrageenans are Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum [2], producing κ- and ι-carrageenans, respectively. These seaweeds are grown on a commercial scale primarily in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brazil and Tanzania [3]. Sarconema filiforme is a red seaweed containing ι-carrageenan, distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific, including along the eastern and western coasts of Australia [4,5]
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