Bioactive Products from Marine Cyanobacteria and Their Potential Therapeutic Applications

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 24529

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Laboratoire Écologie, Systématique, Évolution, Univ. Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Bât. 362, rue du Doyen André Guinier, 91405 Orsay CEDEX, France
Interests: cyanobacteria; diversity of cyanotoxins; mechanisms of action of cyanotoxins; transfer of cyanotoxins in foodwebs; ecotoxicology of cyanobacteria
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cyanobacteria have an old marine history, stretching back almost three billion years. They are widely distributed in the marine ecosystem, from brackish estuaries to coasts and offshore. Due to their extraordinary abundance in the marine environment, they have attracted the attention of many research groups worldwide as a highly potential source of new pharmaceutically active compounds, having vast structural diversity and relevant biological activities such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibitory activity.

For this Special Issue, we look forward to receiving contributions from researchers in the form of original research or review articles, giving new aspects and findings as well as future perspectives on marine cyanobacterial bioactive products and their therapeutic applications potential. Therefore, this Special Issue will cover the scope of isolation, chemical structure characterization, biological activities, mechanisms of action, and potential pharmaceutical applications of natural products derived from various species of marine cyanobacteria.

Dr. Noureddine Bouaïcha
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Marine cyanobacteria
  • Secondary metabolites
  • Chemical characterization
  • Biological activities 
  • Mechanisms of action
  • Pharmaceutical potential

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2784 KiB  
Article
Extracellular Polymeric Substances Produced by the Thermophilic Cyanobacterium Gloeocapsa gelatinosa: Characterization and Assessment of Their Antioxidant and Metal-Chelating Activities
by Wejdene Gongi, Juan Luis Gomez Pinchetti, Nereida Cordeiro and Hatem Ben Ouada
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(4), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20040227 - 26 Mar 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3465
Abstract
Cyanobacteria, particularly thermophilic strains, represent an important potential source of EPSs, harboring structural complexity that predicts diverse and specific bioactive potential. The thermophilic cyanobacteria Gloeocapsa gelatinosa, isolated from a natural hot source in Ain Echfa (Tunisia), was cultivated in a cylindrical reactor, and [...] Read more.
Cyanobacteria, particularly thermophilic strains, represent an important potential source of EPSs, harboring structural complexity that predicts diverse and specific bioactive potential. The thermophilic cyanobacteria Gloeocapsa gelatinosa, isolated from a natural hot source in Ain Echfa (Tunisia), was cultivated in a cylindrical reactor, and the production of biomass and EPSs was investigated. Results revealed that the strain is amongst the most efficient EPSs producers (0.89 g L−1) and that EPSs production was not correlated with the growth phase. EPSs were sulfated heteropolysaccharides containing carbohydrates (70%) based on nine different monosaccharides, mainly mannose (22%), and with the presence of two uronic acids. EPSs were formed by two polymers moieties with a molecular weight of 598.3 ± 7.2 and 67.2 ± 4.4 kDa. They are thermostable in temperatures exceeding 100 °C and have an anionic nature (zeta potential of −40 ± 2 mV). Atomic force microscopy showed that EPSs formed multimodal lumps with 88 nm maximum height. EPSs presented high water holding capacity (70.29 ± 2.36%) and solubility index (97.43 ± 1.24%), and a strong bivalent metal sorption capacity especially for Cu2+ (91.20 ± 1.25%) and Fe2+ (75.51 ± 0.71%). The antioxidant activity of G. gelatinosa EPSs was investigated using four methods: the β-carotene-bleaching activity, DPPH assays, iron-reducing activity, and metal-chelating activity. EPS has shown high potential as free radicals’ scavenger, with an IC50 on DPPH (0.2 g L−1) three-fold lower than ascorbic acid (0.6 g L −1) and as a metal chelating activity (IC50 = 0.4 g L−1) significantly lower than EDTA. The obtained results allow further exploration of the thermophilic G. gelatinosa for several biotechnological and industrial applications. Full article
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21 pages, 18783 KiB  
Article
Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles by the Cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp.: Characterization, Antimicrobial and Diabetic Wound-Healing Actions
by Nancy S. Younis, Maged E. Mohamed and Nermin A. El Semary
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20010056 - 6 Jan 2022
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 4497
Abstract
Green nanotechnology is now accepted as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective advance with various biomedical applications. The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. is a unicellular spherical cyanobacterium with photo- and hetero-trophic capabilities. This study investigates the ability of this cyanobacterial species to produce silver nanoparticles [...] Read more.
Green nanotechnology is now accepted as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective advance with various biomedical applications. The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. is a unicellular spherical cyanobacterium with photo- and hetero-trophic capabilities. This study investigates the ability of this cyanobacterial species to produce silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and the wound-healing properties of the produced nanoparticles in diabetic animals. Methods: UV–visible and FT-IR spectroscopy and and electron microscopy techniques investigated AgNPs’ producibility by Synechocystis sp. when supplemented with silver ion source. The produced AgNPs were evaluated for their antimicrobial, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and diabetic wound healing along with their angiogenesis potential. Results: The cyanobacterium biosynthesized spherical AgNPs with a diameter range of 10 to 35 nm. The produced AgNPs exhibited wound-healing properties verified with increased contraction percentage, tensile strength and hydroxyproline level in incision diabetic wounded animals. AgNPs treatment decreased epithelialization period, amplified the wound closure percentage, and elevated collagen, hydroxyproline and hexosamine contents, which improved angiogenesis factors’ contents (HIF-1α, TGF-β1 and VEGF) in excision wound models. AgNPs intensified catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, and glutathione (GSH) and nitric oxide content and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) level. IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and NF-κB (the inflammatory mediators) were decreased with AgNPs’ topical application. Conclusion: Biosynthesized AgNPs via Synechocystis sp. exhibited antimicrobial, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenesis promoting effects in diabetic wounded animals. Full article
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Review

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21 pages, 1708 KiB  
Review
Bridging Cyanobacteria to Neurodegenerative Diseases: A New Potential Source of Bioactive Compounds against Alzheimer’s Disease
by Andrea Castaneda, Ricardo Ferraz, Mónica Vieira, Isabel Cardoso, Vitor Vasconcelos and Rosário Martins
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(6), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19060343 - 16 Jun 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4663
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) represent a drawback in society given the ageing population. Dementias are the most prevalent NDs, with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) representing around 70% of all cases. The current pharmaceuticals for AD are symptomatic and with no effects on the progression of [...] Read more.
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) represent a drawback in society given the ageing population. Dementias are the most prevalent NDs, with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) representing around 70% of all cases. The current pharmaceuticals for AD are symptomatic and with no effects on the progression of the disease. Thus, research on molecules with therapeutic relevance has become a major focus for the scientific community. Cyanobacteria are a group of photosynthetic prokaryotes rich in biomolecules with confirmed activity in pathologies such as cancer, and with feasible potential in NDs such as AD. In this review, we aimed to compile the research works focused in the anti-AD potential of cyanobacteria, namely regarding the inhibition of the enzyme β-secretase (BACE1) as a fundamental enzyme in the generation of β-amyloid (Aβ), the inhibition of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) lead to an increase in the availability of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as phenomena associated with neurodegeneration mechanisms. Full article
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35 pages, 4611 KiB  
Review
Cyanobacteria—From the Oceans to the Potential Biotechnological and Biomedical Applications
by Shaden A. M. Khalifa, Eslam S. Shedid, Essa M. Saied, Amir Reza Jassbi, Fatemeh H. Jamebozorgi, Mostafa E. Rateb, Ming Du, Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim, Guo-Yin Kai, Montaser A. M. Al-Hammady, Jianbo Xiao, Zhiming Guo and Hesham R. El-Seedi
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(5), 241; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19050241 - 24 Apr 2021
Cited by 85 | Viewed by 10656
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotic organisms which represent a significant source of novel, bioactive, secondary metabolites, and they are also considered an abundant source of bioactive compounds/drugs, such as dolastatin, cryptophycin 1, curacin toyocamycin, phytoalexin, cyanovirin-N and phycocyanin. Some of these compounds have displayed [...] Read more.
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotic organisms which represent a significant source of novel, bioactive, secondary metabolites, and they are also considered an abundant source of bioactive compounds/drugs, such as dolastatin, cryptophycin 1, curacin toyocamycin, phytoalexin, cyanovirin-N and phycocyanin. Some of these compounds have displayed promising results in successful Phase I, II, III and IV clinical trials. Additionally, the cyanobacterial compounds applied to medical research have demonstrated an exciting future with great potential to be developed into new medicines. Most of these compounds have exhibited strong pharmacological activities, including neurotoxicity, cytotoxicity and antiviral activity against HCMV, HSV-1, HHV-6 and HIV-1, so these metabolites could be promising candidates for COVID-19 treatment. Therefore, the effective large-scale production of natural marine products through synthesis is important for resolving the existing issues associated with chemical isolation, including small yields, and may be necessary to better investigate their biological activities. Herein, we highlight the total synthesized and stereochemical determinations of the cyanobacterial bioactive compounds. Furthermore, this review primarily focuses on the biotechnological applications of cyanobacteria, including applications as cosmetics, food supplements, and the nanobiotechnological applications of cyanobacterial bioactive compounds in potential medicinal applications for various human diseases are discussed. Full article
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