Potential Anti-Aging Substances Derived from Seaweeds

Aging is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The exact mechanisms underlying the aging process are not fully elucidated. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that several pathways, such as sirtuin, AMP-activated protein kinase, insulin-like growth factor, autophagy, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 play critical roles in regulating aging. Furthermore, genetic or dietary interventions of these pathways can extend lifespan by delaying the aging process. Seaweeds are a food source rich in many nutrients, including fibers, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and other bioactive compounds. The health benefits of seaweeds include, but are not limited to, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obese activities. Interestingly, a body of studies shows that some seaweed-derived extracts or isolated compounds, can modulate these aging-regulating pathways or even extend lifespans of various animal models. However, few such studies have been conducted on higher animals or even humans. In this review, we focused on potential anti-aging bioactive substances in seaweeds that have been studied in cells and animals mainly based on their anti-aging cellular and molecular mechanisms.     

沪蓉西高速公路弃土场渣体侵蚀特征——以宜(昌)至长(阳)段为例

随着我国高速公路的迅速发展，由此形成的水土流失已成为突出的环境问题。为探讨高速公路建设期间弃土场渣体侵蚀规律，在沪蓉西高速公路宜长段Ⅰ标区弃土场布设观测小区进行定位观测和分析研究。结果表明：（1）降雨量与弃土场渣体侵蚀量呈显著的正相关关系。在不考虑影响坡面渣体侵蚀其它因素前提下，随降雨量的增大，渣体侵蚀量逐渐加大。（2）研究区堆渣体沟蚀发生严重，局部坡面渣体侵蚀量高达92848t／km^2。调查发现沟深下切深度基本在40cm以内，受坡面汇水面积影响，从坡上到坡脚，堆渣侵蚀量逐渐加大。     

巢湖典型小流域表土磷的空间分异特征及影响因素分析

研究了巢湖北部的烔炀河-岐阳河小流域土壤、富磷地质区岩石风化碎屑及烔炀河沉积物等表土物质中总磷（TP）含量,以及NaOH提取态磷（NaOH-P）、HCl提取态磷（HCl-P）、有机磷（OP）等形态组成特征,探讨了富磷地质区岩源性磷及人为污染对表土磷空间分异的影响。结果表明,土壤中TP平均含量为436.8mg·kg-1,其形态组成以OP和NaOH-P为主,分别占到TP含量的41.6%和32.0%,HCl-P平均百分含量为11.8%;富磷地质区岩石风化碎屑中TP平均含量4539.5mg·kg-1,其形态组成以HCl-P为主,NaOH-P、HCl-P、OP分别占到TP含量的0.5%、74.9%、3.5%;烔炀河沉积物中TP平均含量为683.0mg·kg-1,NaOH-P、HCl-P、OP分别占到TP含量的45.0%、20.6%、24.9%。空间上,HCl-P含量在流域上游的富磷地质区最高;NaOH-P含量在流域上游地区较低,而在流域中游-下游地区逐渐增加。烔炀河-岐阳河小流域表土中总磷含量与形态组成空间分异受到富磷地质区岩源性磷及人为污染的共同影响,其中岩源性磷对流域上游地区影响较大,而在中下游地区受到生活污水及化肥施用等人类活动的影响程度较大。     

The efficiency and condition of oysters and macroalgae used as biological filters of shrimp pond effluent

Current shrimp pond management practices generally result in elevated concentrations of nutrients, suspended solids, bacteria and phytoplankton compared with the influent water. Concerns about adverse environmental impacts caused by discharging pond effluent directly into adjacent waterways have prompted the search for cost‐effective methods of effluent treatment. One potential method of effluent treatment is the use of ponds or raceways stocked with plants or animals that act as natural biofilters by removing waste nutrients. In addition to improving effluent water quality prior to discharge, the use of natural biofilters provides a method for capturing otherwise wasted nutrients. This study examined the potential of the native oyster, Saccostrea commercialis (Iredale and Roughley) and macroalgae, Gracilaria edulis (Gmelin) Silva to improve effluent water quality from a commercial Penaeus japonicus (Bate) shrimp farm. A system of raceways was constructed to permit recirculation of the effluent through the oysters to maximize the filtration of bacteria, phytoplankton and total suspended solids. A series of experiments was conducted to test the ability of oysters and macroalgae to improve effluent water quality in a flow‐through system compared with a recirculating system. In the flow‐through system, oysters reduced the concentration of bacteria to 35% of the initial concentration, chlorophyll a to 39%, total particulates (2.28–35.2 µm) to 29%, total nitrogen to 66% and total phosphorus to 56%. Under the recirculating flow regime, the ability of the oysters to improve water quality was significantly enhanced. After four circuits, total bacterial numbers were reduced to 12%, chlorophyll a to 4%, and total suspended solids to 16%. Efforts to increase biofiltration by adding additional layers of oyster trays and macroalgae‐filled mesh bags resulted in fouling of the lower layers causing the death of oysters and senescence of macroalgae. Supplementary laboratory experiments were designed to examine the effects of high effluent concentrations of suspended particulates on the growth and condition of oysters and macroalgae. The results demonstrated that high concentrations of particulates inhibited growth and reduced the condition of oysters and macroalgae. Allowing the effluent to settle before biofiltration improved growth and reduced signs of stress in the oysters and macroalgae. A settling time of 6 h reduced particulates to a level that prevented fouling of the oysters and macroalgae.     

Do surrogates describe patterns in marine macroalgal diversity in the Recherche Archipelago,temperate Australia?

• 1. Surrogates aim to predict species diversity and to minimize sampling effort. Here the value of surrogates for marine macroalgae is tested.
• 2. Higher taxonomic levels and dominant taxa were evaluated as surrogates for detecting patterns in macroalgal species diversity (derived from species‐level biomass data) in the Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia.
• 3. Data were stratified by two island groups (inshore and offshore), three depth intervals (<10 m, 10–20 m, >20 m), and two exposures to wave energy. Correlations between similarity matrices from surrogate and species diversity data matrices were analysed using a modified Spearman rank correlation (r_s). The ability of surrogates to detect differences between exposures to wave energy was also investigated using analysis of similarity. Species diversity data were aggregated to higher taxonomic levels and were either fourth‐root or presence/absence (richness) transformed.
• 4. Species richness was the most consistent surrogate (r_s‐values>0.69, P=0.001). Genus‐level richness was also strongly correlated to species diversity in the Recherche Archipelago, except in depths <10 m where patterns in diversity were characterized by species turnover.
• 5. At offshore islands in depths 10–20 m and >20 m, family‐ and order‐level biomass data were suitable surrogates owing to the abundance of Alariaceae (Order Laminariales) represented by a single genus and species. Surrogates using biomass data from the orders Laminariales, Ceramiales, Dictyotales and Fucales were also successful at offshore islands in middle to deeper depths.
• 6. At inshore islands in depths 10–20 m and >20 m, genera from the orders Gigartinales, Fucales and Ceramiales were strongly correlated to species biomass data.
• 7. Surrogates, like species richness, that were strongly correlated to species biomass data were also able to distinguish between exposures to wave energy, based on analysis of similarity tests.
• 8. Sampling effort would be reduced if collecting richness data in species‐rich macroalgal assemblages such as those found in temperate Australia.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Breeding and larval rearing of threatened, endemic fish stonesucker, Garra ceylonensis (Bleeker)

This study was aimed to develop captive breeding and nurture the young of stonesucker (Garra ceylonensis, Bleeker), a small threatened freshwater fish species endemic to Sri Lanka. Breeding of stonesucker was possible under indoor conditions without hormonal stimulation. They were single spawners having a fecundity of 562±176 eggs per fish (total length of 7.9±0.6 cm) with an egg size of 770–1877 μm. Duration of development stages were, egg to hatchling 36–48 h, hatchling to postlarva stage 3–4 days, postlarva to juvenile stage 5–64 days and adult stage in 300–365 days at 26–28°C. Juveniles exhibited bottom dwelling habit in 70–75 days. Postlarva fed with formulated feed exhibited the highest growth (P<0.05) compared with live diets, Artemia and microworm (Anguillula sp.). Although the juveniles revealed a significantly high growth performance (P<0.05) with swine liver diet up to day 45 compared with formulated feed and combination of detritus and plankton, formulated feed exhibited an increase in growth from day 50. Therefore, formulated feed could be used for rearing of postlarva and juvenile stages without any live feeds.     

Population ecology and prey consumption by fathead minnows in prairie wetlands: importance of detritus and larval fish

Abstract –  The fathead minnow Pimephales promelas occurs in high densities in wetlands of the prairie pothole region (PPR) of North America, but food resources sustaining these populations are poorly known. We assessed population dynamics and prey consumption of fathead minnow populations in three PPR wetlands for 2 years. Fish density peaked at 107 fish per m² for all age classes combined. Larval and juvenile fish dominated these populations in terms of abundance and accounted for 83% of total prey consumption. Detritus dominated fish diets, representing 53%, 40% and 79% of diet mass for larval, juvenile and adult fish respectively. Detritus consumption was positively related to minnow density and negatively related to invertebrate abundance, but only for adult fish. Seasonal production:biomass ratios were unrelated to proportions of detritus in the diet for all ages of fish, indicating that detritus is an important food resource capable of meeting metabolic demands and sustaining fish growth in high-density populations. Detritus consumption may also weaken links between abundance of invertebrate prey and minnows, promoting dense fish populations with strong, consistent influences on wetland ecosystems.     

Tipping Points in Seaweed Genetic Engineering: Scaling Up Opportunities in the Next Decade

Seaweed genetic engineering is a transgenic expression system with unique features compared with those of heterotrophic prokaryotes and higher plants. This study discusses several newly sequenced seaweed nuclear genomes and the necessity that research on vector design should consider endogenous promoters, codon optimization, and gene copy number. Seaweed viruses and artificial transposons can be applied as transformation methods after acquiring a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of viral infections in seaweeds and transposon patterns in seaweed genomes. After cultivating transgenic algal cells and tissues in a photobioreactor, a biosafety assessment of genetically modified (GM) seaweeds must be conducted before open-sea application. We propose a set of programs for the evaluation of gene flow from GM seaweeds to local/geographical environments. The effective implementation of such programs requires fundamentally systematic and interdisciplinary studies on algal physiology and genetics, marine hydrology, reproductive biology, and ecology.     

大型海藻基生物炭中多环芳烃分布特征及毒性评价

研究大型海藻基生物炭中多环芳烃（Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons,PAHs）分布特征及毒性可为其资源化利用提供重要的依据。该研究利用索氏提取结合气相色谱质谱法分析了不同热解温度（200、300、400、500和600 ℃）的大型海藻（瓦氏马尾藻（Sagassum vachellianum）、羊栖菜（Sargassum fusiforme）、鼠尾藻（Sargassum thunbergii）、带形蜈蚣藻（Grateloupia turuturu）、粗枝软骨藻（Chondria crassicaulis）及孔石莼（Ulva pertusa））基生物炭中16种PAHs含量并对其毒性进行评价。结果表明,大型海藻基生物炭中均能检出PAHs（总量浓度为78.2～2 244.2 μg/kg）,且其生成量整体随热解温度升高先增加后降低。大型海藻基生物炭中PAHs含量均低于欧洲生物炭标准（European Biochar Certificate,EBC,10.1版）规定的EBC-AgroOrganic等级限量值（4±2）mg/kg。大型海藻基生物炭中PAHs以2环和3环为主,4环PAHs在所有生物炭中均存在,而5环和6环PAHs仅在部分生物炭中被检出。此外,不同大型海藻基生物炭呈现各异的苯并[a]芘毒性当量浓度（BaP- Toxic Equivalence Quantity, TEQBaP）（0.196～46.151 μg/kg）,其TEQBaP不仅依赖于生物炭中PAHs含量还与其环数和类型分布有关。在生物炭修复效果且潜在环境风险相近的基础上,结合产率及热解温度耗能,可选择热解温度较低的生物炭材料,为大型海藻基生物炭制备与应用的优化提供重要指导。