Abstract
Fucus vesiculosus L. is a common coastal brown seaweed associated with various benefits to human health due to its phenolic content and nutrients and is used as food through different methods of consumption. This study aims to evaluate the influence of the seaweed’s gender and growth stage on different types of biological activities as well as its chemical constitution and elements present. Akin to food preparation, aqueous extracts of the seaweed were prepared at 25 °C (salad) and 100 °C (soup). Biological activities were determined by measuring total phenol content (TPC), antioxidant activity and inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Liquid Chromatography High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) was used for compound identification, and elemental analysis was carried out by using Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (TXRF). Older females and males had higher TPC compared to the new ones at 100 °C. Antioxidant activity depended on the extraction temperature but was higher for the youngest male at 100 °C. AChE inhibitory activity was higher for older males at 25 °C, but at 100 °C it was higher for older females. Primary metabolites and various phloroglucinol were the main compounds identified. Additionally, since this seaweed is often harvested in estuarine systems with high anthropogenic impacts, its safety was evaluated through the evaluation of the sample’s metal content. The heavy metals detected are within the limits established by various regulating entities, pointing to a safe food source.
Highlights
In the last few years, natural products, plant-based ones, have been experiencing an increasing interest both due to their inherited properties and as an alternative to synthetic supplements [1]
As a result of heavy metal accumulation in estuaries and other marine environments, many types of seaweed are being studied as potential species for biomonitoring these areas and for their capacity to bioaccumulate heavy metals [57,58]. These results suggested an absorption of certain heavy metals by F. vesiculosus, this type of experiment is usually performed together with an analysis of the heavy metals contents in the sediments [59,60], which vegetation or seaweed adhered to, in order to perform a proper evaluation of seaweed biomonitoring potential, as observed in a study by Duarte et al (2021) [4]
Fucus vesiculosus L. from the Tagus estuary has a high value for its phenolic contents, in the older females’ stages at 100 ◦C
Summary
In the last few years, natural products, plant-based ones, have been experiencing an increasing interest both due to their inherited properties and as an alternative to synthetic supplements [1]. Its symptoms are confused with normal signs of ageing; as the disease progresses, it starts to affect cognitive functions, such as thinking and planning, and it evolves into affecting the most basic bodily functions to the point where the patient is completely dependent on a caretaker [19] To this day, AD has no known treatment able to stop the damage to neurons associated with it; current treatments aim at alleviating AD’s symptoms. Extracts rich in phlorotannins have been shown to exhibit inhibitory effects on the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) [20,21], an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of acetylcholine (ACh) [22], which in an individual with AD is usually found in much lower quantities [23] This molecule (ACh) mediates neurotransmission in the brain and it is thought that a loss of cholinergic functions associated with it in the Central Nervous System contributes greatly to the loss of cognitive functions linked to AD [23]
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