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Marine Functional Food Products - Cardiovascular Diseases 2021

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 13984

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Constantina Nasopoulou

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Guest Editor

Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of the Environment, University of the Aegean, Metropolite Ioakeim 2, 81400 Myrina, Lemnos, Greece
Interests: marine functional food products; food biotechnology; antithrombotic; antiatherogenic properties of marine bioactive lipid micro constituents; inflammation; biological assays; gas chromatrograpy-mass spectrometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most crucial non-communicable diseases being responsible for almost 30% of total deaths globally. Over the past decades fish consumption has been related to beneficial effects against CVDs, mainly attributed to omega-three polyunsaturated fatty acids. Additionally other marine lipid sources, such as krill oil (the most abundant biomass on earth due to its reproductive capabilities), have been found to exert anti-inflammatory activity and thus anti-atherosclerotic activity; inflammation is closely linked to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, it has been reported that the cardio-protective properties of marine lipids can be attributed to biologically active lipid micro-constituents that exert anti-thrombotic action. Moreover, fish nutrients also contain proteins, amino acids and peptides that mainly contribute to lipid metabolism regulation, along with vitamin D, selenium and taurine that exert beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors.

This Special Issue covers all new trends in formulating marine functional food products with reinforced cardio-protective properties.

Dr. Constantina Nasopoulou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

marine functional food products
cardiovascular diseases
ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
biologically active fish lipid micro-constituents
fish proteins
vitamin D
selenium
taurine

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 1289 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Upregulate SIRT1/3, Activate PGC-1α via Deacetylation, and Induce Nrf1 Production in 5/6 Nephrectomy Rat Model

by Sung Hyun Son, Su Mi Lee, Mi Hwa Lee, Young Ki Son, Seong Eun Kim and Won Suk An

Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(4), 182; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19040182 - 26 Mar 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2848

Abstract

Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of kidney injury related with cardiovascular disease. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α) protects renal tubular cells by upregulating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK)-mediated phosphorylation and sirtuin 1/3 (SIRT1/3)-mediated deacetylation are required for PGC-1α activation. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) regulate the expression of mediators of mitochondrial biogenesis in 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx) rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to the following groups: sham control, Nx, and Nx treated with omega-3 FA. The expression of PGC-1α, phosphorylated PGC-1α (pPGC-1α), acetylated PGC-1α, and factors related to mitochondrial biogenesis was examined through Western blot analysis. Compared to the control group, the expression of PGC-1α, pAMPK, SIRT1/3, Nrf1, mTOR, and Nrf2 was significantly downregulated, and that of Keap 1, acetylated PGC-1α, and FoxO1/3, was significantly upregulated in the Nx group. These changes in protein expression were rescued in the omega-3 FA group. However, the expression of pPGC-1α was similar among the three groups. Omega-3 FAs may involve mitochondrial biogenesis by upregulating Nrf1 and Nrf2. This protective mechanism might be attributed to the increased expression and deacetylation of PGC-1α, which was triggered by SIRT1/3. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Functional Food Products - Cardiovascular Diseases 2021)

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15 pages, 2670 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Molecular Species and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Purified Phospholipids from Antarctic Krill Oil

by Li Zhou, Xing Wu, Fu Yang, Minghao Zhang, Rong Huang and Jikai Liu

Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(3), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19030124 - 25 Feb 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2787

Abstract

The phospholipids (PLs) from Antarctic krill oil were purified (>97.2%) using adsorption column chromatography. Forty-nine PL molecular species were characterized by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Most of molecular species contained eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5), and arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4). Notably, a special species PC (20:5/22:6) (1298.17 nmol/g) and many ether PLs were detected. The Antarctic krill PL liposome (IC₅₀ = 0.108 mg/mL) showed better anti-inflammatory activity than crude Antarctic krill oil (IC₅₀ = 0.446 mg/mL). It could block NF-κB signaling pathway via suppression of IκB-α degradation and p65 activation and dose-dependently reduce the cellular content of inflammatory mediators including nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and inflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, it can suppress carrageenan-induced mouse paw swelling. Results from the present study could provide a reference for better evaluation of nutritional and medicinal values of Antarctic krill oil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Functional Food Products - Cardiovascular Diseases 2021)

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16 pages, 2098 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioactive Lipids of Marine Microalga Chlorococcum sp. SABC 012504 with Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Thrombotic Activities

by Katie Shiels, Alexandros Tsoupras, Ronan Lordan, Constantina Nasopoulou, Ioannis Zabetakis, Patrick Murray and Sushanta Kumar Saha

Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19010028 - 10 Jan 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4436

Abstract

Microalgae are at the start of the food chain, and many are known producers of a significant amount of lipids with essential fatty acids. However, the bioactivity of microalgal lipids for anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic activities have rarely been investigated. Therefore, for a sustainable source of the above bioactive lipids, the present study was undertaken. The total lipids of microalga Chlorococcum sp., isolated from the Irish coast, were fractionated into neutral-, glyco-, and phospho-lipids, and were tested in vitro for their anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic activities. All tested lipid fractions showed strong anti-platelet-activating factor (PAF) and antithrombin activities in human platelets (half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values ranging ~25–200 μg of lipid) with the highest activities in glyco- and phospho-lipid fractions. The structural analysis of the bioactive lipid fraction-2 revealed the presence of specific sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerols (SQDG) bioactive molecules and the HexCer-t36:2 (t18:1/18:1 and 18:2/18:0) cerebrosides with a phytosphingosine (4-hydrosphinganine) base, while fraction-3 contained bioactive phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) molecules. These novel bioactive lipids of Chlorococcum sp. with putative health benefits may indicate that marine microalgae can be a sustainable alternative source for bioactive lipids production for food supplements and nutraceutical applications. However, further studies are required towards the commercial technology pathways development and biosafety analysis for the use of the microalga. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Functional Food Products - Cardiovascular Diseases 2021)

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Review

Jump to: Research

11 pages, 608 KiB

Open AccessReview

Microbiota, a New Playground for the Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Cardiovascular Diseases

by Guy Rousseau

Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(2), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19020054 - 23 Jan 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3113

Abstract

Several cardioprotective mechanisms attributed to Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been studied and widely documented. However, in recent years, studies have supported the concept that the intestinal microbiota can play a much larger role than we had anticipated. Microbiota could contribute to several pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases. Indeed, an imbalance in the microbiota has often been reported in patients with cardiovascular disease and produces low-level inflammation. This inflammation contributes to, more or less, long-term development of cardiovascular diseases. It can also worsen the symptoms and the consequences of these pathologies. According to some studies, omega-3 PUFAs in the diet could restore this imbalance and mitigate its harmful effects on cardiovascular diseases. Many mechanisms are involved and included: (1) a reduction of bacteria producing trimethylamine (TMA); (2) an increase in bacteria producing butyrate, which has anti-inflammatory properties; and (3) a decrease in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, omega-3 PUFAs would help maintain better integrity in the intestinal barrier, thereby preventing the translocation of intestinal contents into circulation. This review will summarize the effects of omega-3 PUFAs on gut micro-biota and the potential impact on cardiac health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Functional Food Products - Cardiovascular Diseases 2021)

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