Abstract
Recently, there is a growing interest towards the development of strategies for invasive seaweed control and exploitation as source of secondary metabolites. Here, we investigated the potential of exploitation in biotechnology and recycling options in eradication programs of the lipidic extract of the Mediterranean invasive seaweed Caulerpa cylindracea (Chlorophyta). The chemical characterization was carried out by means of multinuclear and multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. The fatty acid profile of C. cylindracea assessed the presence of several types of molecules known for antioxidant activity such as carotenoids, chlorophylls, pheophytins, and sterols. The NMR spectroscopy showed also the characteristic signals of saturated, unsaturated, and free fatty acids as well as other metabolites including the biopolymer polyhydroxybutyrate. The lipidic extract exerted an antioxidant activity corresponding to 552.14 ± 69.13 mmol Trolox equivalent/g (ORAC) and to 70.3 ± 2.67 mmol Trolox equivalent/g (TEAC). The extract showed an antibacterial activity against several Vibrio species, suggesting its potential use in the control of diseases in mariculture. Our results show that C. cylindracea, representing a critical hazard in coastal areas, could be transformed into a gain supporting specific management actions to reduce the effects of human pressures.
Highlights
Marine organisms are rich sources of structurally novel and biologically active metabolites, exhibiting numerous interesting biological effects and constituting valuable opportunities for drug discovery
The 1D 1 H (Figure 1) spectrum in spectrum in CDCl3 of the algal lipid fractions shows the characteristic signals of fatty acids (FAs), such as saturated (SAFAs) and unsaturated (UFAs) fatty acids, as well as caulerpin and other metabolites
Some important issues can be inferred from the obtained results: By the NMR analysis the 1 H NMR spectrum in CDCl3 of C. cylindracea algal lipid fraction interestingly, for the first time, showed the presence of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a natural, linear biodegradable, and biocompatible polymer belonging to the polyesters group of bioplastics
Summary
Marine organisms are rich sources of structurally novel and biologically active metabolites, exhibiting numerous interesting biological effects and constituting valuable opportunities for drug discovery. Several studies on the growing problem of non-indigenous species have proven that the knowledge of marine bioactive compounds may indicate the capacity of non-indigenous species to invade new systems [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Mollo et al [10] showed that the commercial use of the natural products obtainable from marine bioinvaders might be considered as an effective option for reducing their impact on marine ecosystems. Mar. Drugs 2016, 14, 210; doi:10.3390/md14110210 www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs.
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