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.     

Use of macroalgae supplemented with probiotics in the Haliotis rufescens (Swainson, 1822) culture in Northern Chile

In this study, we evaluate the use of macroalgae as vectors of probiotics bacteria into the digestive tract of abalone to improve their survival and growth. It is shown that when abalone Haliotis rufescens of different sizes were fed with a natural diet composed of fronds of the macroalga Macrocystis integrifolia supplemented with a mixture of Vibrio sp. C21‐UMA, Agarivorans albus F1‐UMA and Vibrio sp. F15‐UMA bacteria, there was a significant increase (P<0.05) in the average monthly growth rate and survival (%)in a period of 210 days, compared with the control without a probiotic supplement. The permanence of the probiotics in the digestive tract of the animals was monitored, and it was found that the number of culturable C21‐UMA and F1‐UMA bacteria decreased significantly (P<0.05) in recently weaned and adult abalone, and they almost disappeared completely on day 19 of the bioassay. However, the culturable Vibrio sp. F15‐UMA disappeared completely from the digestive tract on day 22 of the bioassay, and these were the bacteria that remained at the highest concentration compared with the other two bacterial strains over the experimental period. It is therefore shown that it is feasible to use a probiotic mixture to improve the profitability of the H. rufescens culture.     

枸杞岛近岸3种生境鱼类群落组成及岩礁区底栖海藻对鱼类群落结构的影响

2005年—2006年及2010年5—6月对枸杞岛近岸岩礁生境分布的底栖海藻进行观测和潜水采样,发现岩礁生境潮下带底栖海藻组成模式分以大型底栖海藻铜藻为优势种和以孔石莼等小型藻类为优势种两类。2009年2月—2010年1月利用组合刺网对枸杞岛海域岩礁、沙地和贻贝筏式养殖区3种生境的鱼类进行了逐月采样,通过采用方差分析、聚类和非度量多维标度等统计分析手段发现:(1) 岩礁生境鱼类以底栖趋礁杂食性为主,沙地生境鱼类以中下层洄游肉食性为主,贻贝筏式养殖区生境鱼类大型个体占优;(2) 岩礁生境鱼类多样性较高,大型底栖海藻生长的岩礁生境中鱼类群落组成较小型底栖海藻生长的岩礁生境稳定。前者为枸杞岛近岸优势种群繁衍提供有利条件,对鱼类幼体和小型个体有诱集作用,为鱼类捕食者提供更多样化的食物选择,鱼类群落较稳定;后者易受外界鱼类迁移的影响,个体数量和生物量月间差异大。     

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.     

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。     

枸杞岛海藻场大型底栖无脊椎动物摄食类群研究

随着海洋生态学研究的深入和海洋环境监测的需要,一些传统的研究方法如多样性指数等在评价大型底栖生物群落结构变化时显得说服力不足,而摄食功能群的研究越来越受到重视。本实验根据2012年8月对浙江枸杞岛海藻场大型底栖无脊椎动物的调查实验,分析该海域夏季大型底栖无脊椎动物摄食类群的组成、空间及数量分布,并进行相关生态评价。结果表明,枸杞岛海藻场夏季大型底栖无脊椎动物组成以肉食者和滤食者占较大优势,食碎屑者、植食者和食底泥者次之,杂食者最少;肉食者的优势种为布尔小笔螺、寄居蟹、扁平管帽螺、甲虫螺和四齿矶蟹等,滤食者的优势种为条纹隔贻贝、带偏顶蛤、短石蛏和布氏蚶等,植食者的优势种为钩虾、单一丽口螺和锈凹螺等;各摄食类群水平分布较均匀,垂直分布受水深和摄食饵料的限制;基于大型底栖无脊椎动物功能类群的生态参数评价结果表明,枸杞岛海藻场大型底栖无脊椎动物群落健康状态呈虚弱水平,大部分站位大型底栖无脊椎动物群落受到轻度扰动,底栖生态质量状况较好。     

青岛太平角岩相潮间带大型海藻群落初步调查

对青岛太平角(36°02′N,120°21′E)岩相潮间带大型海藻群落进行了为期1年(2010年5月-2011年4月)逐月的定性调查研究。结果表明:1.采集到大型海藻3门36种,其中红藻门16属19种,占52.8%;褐藻门7属10种,占27.8%;绿藻门5属7种,占19.4%。2.青岛太平角潮间带大型海藻群落的种类组成中红藻种类最多,褐藻其次,绿藻最少。3.青岛太平角潮间带群落中大型海藻的种类组成和藻总量(株)有明显的季节变化:春季海藻的种类和数量都非常大,秋冬季节其次,夏季海藻种类和数量最少。4.孔石莼、鼠尾藻和珊瑚藻为青岛太平角岩相潮间带大型海藻群落的最常见种。5.青岛夏季绿潮藻种浒苔是由其他海域漂流而来,且较其他藻种更适应夏季较高水温,使其短时间内迅速生长。     

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids of Marine Macroalgae: Potential for Nutritional and Pharmaceutical Applications

As mammals are unable to synthesize essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), these compounds need to be taken in through diet. Nowadays, obtaining essential PUFA in diet is becoming increasingly difficult; therefore this work investigated the suitability of using macroalgae as novel dietary sources of PUFA. Hence, 17 macroalgal species from three different phyla (Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta) were analyzed and their fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) profile was assessed. Each phylum presented a characteristic fatty acid signature as evidenced by clustering of PUFA profiles of algae belonging to the same phylum in a Principal Components Analysis. The major PUFA detected in all phyla were C₁₈ and C₂₀, namely linoleic, arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acids. The obtained data showed that rhodophytes and phaeophytes have higher concentrations of PUFA, particularly from the n-3 series, thereby being a better source of these compounds. Moreover, rhodophytes and phaeophytes presented “healthier” ∑n-6/∑n-3 and PUFA/saturated fatty acid ratios than chlorophytes. Ulva was an exception within the Chlorophyta, as it presented high concentrations of n-3 PUFA, α-linolenic acid in particular. In conclusion, macroalgae can be considered as a potential source for large-scale production of essential PUFA with wide applications in the nutraceutical and pharmacological industries.