Lipid Profiling (Lipidome) of Marine Organisms to Foster Biotechnological and Medical Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (27 August 2021) | Viewed by 13027

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Marine Biotechnology and Aquaculture Group, Center for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro.
Interests: Marine Lipidomics; Mass spectrometry; Marine macrophytes; Marine Lipids
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. CESAM—Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies & Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
2. Mass Spectrometry Centre & LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: lipidomics; mass spectrometry; marine lipids; algae lipids
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lipids are major components of marine organisms, as main constituents of cell membranes, as signaling molecules, and as energy sources. Different marine organisms have their specific lipidome, which can be used as biomarkers of trophic chains in marine ecosystems or even to disclose the nutritional value or prospective bioactive compounds. The lipidome of marine organisms is largely unknown, due to the great biochemical diversity and the presence of a large number of different molecular lipid species. The presence of a certain family of lipids can foster the valorization of marine organisms for different applications. However, lipid composition may shift based on species, the origin of organisms, the environment, and the availability of nutrients. Modern lipidomics approaches allow us to overcome this challenge to decode and map the whole lipidome of marine organisms.

This Special Issue of Marine Drugs titled “Lipid Profiling (Lipidome) of Marine Organisms to Foster Biotechnological and Medical Applications” aims to provide a comprehensive lipidomics analysis of a great variety of marine organisms to identify lipid molecular species with added value and health-promoting properties for biotechnological and medical applications, such as nutraceuticals, functional food, or supplements in the food and pharma industries.

As guest editors, we invite colleagues working on marine lipids and their applications to contribute interesting papers to this Special Issue of Marine Drugs with the aim of filling the existing gap in our knowledge of the lipidome of marine organisms.

Dr. Elisabete Maciel
Dr. Tânia Melo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Marine Lipids
  • Lipidomics
  • Marine organisms
  • Fatty Acids
  • Phospholipids
  • Glycolipids
  • Sterols
  • Mass spectrometry

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3711 KiB  
Article
Ethanol Extraction of Polar Lipids from Nannochloropsis oceanica for Food, Feed, and Biotechnology Applications Evaluated Using Lipidomic Approaches
by Tânia Melo, Ana R. P. Figueiredo, Elisabete da Costa, Daniela Couto, Joana Silva, M. Rosário Domingues and Pedro Domingues
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(11), 593; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19110593 - 21 Oct 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3994
Abstract
Nannochloropsis oceanica can accumulate lipids and is a good source of polar lipids, which are emerging as new value-added compounds with high commercial value for the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. Some applications may limit the extraction solvents, such as food applications that [...] Read more.
Nannochloropsis oceanica can accumulate lipids and is a good source of polar lipids, which are emerging as new value-added compounds with high commercial value for the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. Some applications may limit the extraction solvents, such as food applications that require safe food-grade solvents, such as ethanol. However, the effect of using ethanol as an extraction solvent on the quality of the extracted polar lipidome, compared to other more traditional methods, is not yet well established. In this study, the polar lipid profile of N. oceanica extracts was obtained using different solvents, including chloroform/methanol (CM), dichloromethane/methanol (DM), dichloromethane/ethanol (DE), and ethanol (E), and evaluated by modern lipidomic methods using LC-MS/MS. Ultrasonic bath (E + USB)- and ultrasonic probe (E + USP)-assisted methodologies were implemented to increase the lipid extraction yields using ethanol. The polar lipid signature and antioxidant activity of DM, E + USB, and E + USP resemble conventional CM, demonstrating a similar extraction efficiency, while the DE and ethanol extracts were significantly different. Our results showed the impact of different extraction solvents in the polar lipid composition of the final extracts and demonstrated the feasibility of E + USB and E + USP as safe and food-grade sources of polar lipids, with the potential for high-added-value biotechnological applications. Full article
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24 pages, 2212 KiB  
Article
Polar Lipids Composition, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Atlantic Red Seaweed Grateloupia turuturu
by Elisabete da Costa, Tânia Melo, Mariana Reis, Pedro Domingues, Ricardo Calado, Maria Helena Abreu and Maria Rosário Domingues
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(8), 414; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19080414 - 26 Jul 2021
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 4171
Abstract
Grateloupia turuturu Yamada, 1941, is a red seaweed widely used for food in Japan and Korea which was recorded on the Atlantic Coast of Europe about twenty years ago. This seaweed presents eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in its [...] Read more.
Grateloupia turuturu Yamada, 1941, is a red seaweed widely used for food in Japan and Korea which was recorded on the Atlantic Coast of Europe about twenty years ago. This seaweed presents eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in its lipid fraction, a feature that sparked the interest on its potential applications. In seaweeds, PUFAs are mostly esterified to polar lipids, emerging as healthy phytochemicals. However, to date, these biomolecules are still unknown for G. turuturu. The present work aimed to identify the polar lipid profile of G. turuturu, using modern lipidomics approaches based on high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The health benefits of polar lipids were identified by health lipid indices and the assessment of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The polar lipids profile identified from G. turuturu included 205 lipid species distributed over glycolipids, phospholipids, betaine lipids and phosphosphingolipids, which featured a high number of lipid species with EPA and PUFAs. The nutritional value of G. turuturu has been shown by its protein content, fatty acyl composition and health lipid indices, thus confirming G. turuturu as an alternative source of protein and lipids. Some of the lipid species assigned were associated to biological activity, as polar lipid extracts showed antioxidant activity evidenced by free radical scavenging potential for the 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethyl benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS+) radical (IC50 ca. 130.4 μg mL−1) and for the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical (IC25 ca. 129.1 μg mL−1) and anti-inflammatory activity by inhibition of the COX-2 enzyme (IC50 ca. 33 µg mL−1). Both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were detected using a low concentration of extracts. This integrative approach contributes to increase the knowledge of G. turuturu as a species capable of providing nutrients and bioactive molecules with potential applications in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries. Full article
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19 pages, 2971 KiB  
Article
Domesticated Populations of Codium tomentosum Display Lipid Extracts with Lower Seasonal Shifts than Conspecifics from the Wild—Relevance for Biotechnological Applications of this Green Seaweed
by Felisa Rey, Paulo Cartaxana, Tânia Melo, Ricardo Calado, Rui Pereira, Helena Abreu, Pedro Domingues, Sónia Cruz and M. Rosário Domingues
Mar. Drugs 2020, 18(4), 188; https://doi.org/10.3390/md18040188 - 31 Mar 2020
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3863
Abstract
In the last decades, the use of algae in biotechnology and food industries has experienced an exponential growth. Codium tomentosum is a green macroalgae with high biotechnological potential, due to its rich lipidome, although few studies have addressed it. This study aimed to [...] Read more.
In the last decades, the use of algae in biotechnology and food industries has experienced an exponential growth. Codium tomentosum is a green macroalgae with high biotechnological potential, due to its rich lipidome, although few studies have addressed it. This study aimed to investigate the seasonal changes in lipid and pigment profiles of C. tomentosum, as well as to screen its antioxidant activity, in order to evaluate its natural plasticity. Samples of C. tomentosum were collected in two different seasons, early-autumn (September/October) and spring (May), in the Portuguese coast (wild samples), and in a land-based integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) system (IMTA samples). Total lipid extracts were analysed by LC–MS, GC–MS, and HPLC, and antioxidant activity was screened through free radical scavenging potential against DPPH and 2,20-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radicals. Wild samples showed a high seasonal variability, modifying their lipidome and pigment profiles according to environmental shifts, while IMTA samples showed a relatively stable composition due to early-stage culturing in controlled conditions. The lipids that contributed the most to seasonal discrimination were glycolipids (monogalactosyl diacylglycerol - MGDG and digalactosyl diacylglycerol - DGDG) and the lyso forms of phospholipids and glycolipids. Lipid extracts showed antioxidant activity ranging from 61 ± 2 to 115 ± 35 µmol Trolox g−1 of lipid extract in DPPH assay and from 532 ± 73 to 927 ± 92 µmol Trolox g−1 of lipid extract in ABTS assay, with a more intense antioxidant activity in wild spring samples. This study revealed that wild specimens of C. tomentosum presented a higher plasticity to cope with seasonal environmental changes, adjusting their lipid, pigment, and bioactivity profiles, while IMTA samples, cultured under controlled conditions, displayed more stable lipidome and pigment compositions. Full article
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