Potential Cosmetic Active Ingredients Derived from Marine By-Products

The market demand for marine-based cosmetics has shown a tremendous growth rate in the last decade. Marine resources represent a promising source of novel bioactive compounds for new cosmetic ingredient development. However, concern about sustainability also becomes an issue that should be considered in developing cosmetic ingredients. The fisheries industry (e.g., fishing, farming, and processing) generates large amounts of leftovers containing valuable substances, which are potent sources of cosmeceutical ingredients. Several bioactive substances could be extracted from the marine by-product that can be utilized as a potent ingredient to develop cosmetics products. Those bioactive substances (e.g., collagen from fish waste and chitin from crustacean waste) could be utilized as anti-photoaging, anti-wrinkle, skin barrier, and hair care products. From this perspective, this review aims to approach the potential active ingredients derived from marine by-products for cosmetics and discuss the possible activity of those active ingredients in promoting human beauty. In addition, this review also covers the prospect and challenge of using marine by-products toward the emerging concept of sustainable blue cosmetics.     

Using Bacillus subtilis E20‐fermented soybean meal as replacement for fish meal in the diet of orange‐spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides,Hamilton)

The potential of Bacillus subtilis E20‐fermented soybean meal (FSBM) as a partial alternative component of fish meal (FM) in fed diets of orange‐spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) was evaluated in this study. An FM‐based diet and seven diets containing 10%, 20% and 30% and 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% of FM replaced by soybean meal (SBM) and FSBM, respectively, were fed to grouper for 84 days to evaluate possible substitution levels of FM by tracking growth performance, digestive enzyme activity and morphological changes in the liver and distal intestine. No significant differences in survival and muscle composition of grouper were found between controls and treatments. Growth performance and feed efficiency of fish fed diets with FM replaced by FSBM up to 30% were not significantly different from controls, whereas significantly decreased growth performance and feed efficiency occurred with diets containing >20% of SBM. Based on the feed efficiency, the maximum substituted levels of FM by SBM and FSBM in grouper diets were 18.36% and 29.32%, respectively, based on broken‐line analyses. Histopathological changes in the liver and distal intestine, and significantly lower activity levels of digestive enzymes, including pepsin in the stomach and trypsin, chymotrypsin, amylase and lipase in the distal intestine, were found in fish fed a diet containing 30% of FM replaced by SBM. However, these parameters were improved by the substitution of FSBM. It is therefore believed that FSBM has great potential to be used as a protein source in grouper diets in partial replacement of FM.     

Therapeutic Potential of Phlorotannin-Rich Ecklonia cava Extract on Methylglyoxal-Induced Diabetic Nephropathy in In Vitro Model

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) play a vital role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. Methylglyoxal (MGO), one of the major precursors of AGEs, is a highly reactive dicarbonyl compound that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. This study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of phlorotannin-rich Ecklonia cava extract (ECE) on MGO-induced diabetic nephropathy in in vitro models using mouse glomerular mesangial cells. ECE showed anti-glycation activity via breaking of AGEs-collagen cross-links and inhibition of AGEs formation and AGE-collagen cross-linking formation. The renoprotective effects were determined by assessing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MGO accumulation, cell apoptosis, and the Nrf-2/ARE signaling pathway. MGO-induced renal damage, intracellular ROS production level, and MGO-protein adduct accumulation were significantly decreased by pretreating ECE. Moreover, ECE pretreatment exhibited preventive properties against MGO-induced dicarbonyl stress via activation of the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway and reduction of RAGE protein expression in mouse glomerular mesangial cells. Collectively, these results indicated potential anti-glycation properties and prominent preventive effects of ECE against MGO-induced renal damage. Additionally, ECE may be utilized for the management of AGE-related diabetic nephropathy.     

Antihypertensive Effects of IGTGIPGIW Peptide Purified from Hippocampus abdominalis: p-eNOS and p-AKT Stimulation in EA.hy926 Cells and Lowering of Blood Pressure in SHR Model

The aim of this study was to assess the potential hypertensive effects of the IGTGIPGIW peptide purified from Hippocampus abdominalis alcalase hydrolysate (HA) for application in the functional food industry. We investigated the antihypertensive effects of IGTGIPGIW in vitro by assessing nitric oxide production in EA.hy926 endothelial cells, which is a major factor affecting vasorelaxation. The potential vasorelaxation effect was evaluated using 4-amino-5-methylamino-2′,7′-difluorofluorescein diacetate, a fluorescent stain. IGTGIPGIW significantly increased the expression of endothelial-derived relaxing factors, including endothelial nitric oxide synthase and protein kinase B, in EA.hy926 cells. Furthermore, oral administration of IGTGIPGIW significantly lowered the systolic blood pressure (183.60 ± 1.34 mmHg) and rapidly recovered the diastolic blood pressure (143.50 ± 5.55 mmHg) in the spontaneously hypertensive rat model in vivo. Our results demonstrate the antihypertensive activity of the IGTGIPGIW peptide purified from H. abdominalis and indicate its suitability for application in the functional food industry.     

A review of visual soil evaluation techniques for soil structure

Soil structure forms a key component of soil quality, and its assessment by semi‐quantitative visual soil evaluation (VSE) techniques can help scientists, advisors and farmers make decisions regarding sampling and soil management. VSE techniques require inexpensive equipment and generate immediate results that correlate well with quantitative measurements of physical and biochemical properties, highlighting their potential utility. We reviewed published VSE techniques and found that soils of certain textures present problems and a lack of research into the influence of soil moisture content on VSE criteria. Generally, profile methods evaluate process interactions at specific locations within a field, exploring both intrinsic aspects and anthropogenic impacts. Spade methods focus on anthropogenic characteristics, providing rapid synopses of soil structure over wider areas. Despite a focus on structural form, some methods include criteria related to stability and resiliency. Further work is needed to improve existing methods regarding texture influences, on‐farm sampling procedures and more holistic assessments of soil structure.     

Digestive Enzyme Activity during Larval Development of Black Snook,Centropomus nigrescens

Black snook, Centropomus nigrescens, have been identified as a promising candidate for aquaculture although, like many of the Centropomid species, high mortality associated with early larval stages presents a significant bottleneck to their commercialization. The digestive capacity of black snook larvae throughout the first 37 d after hatch (d.a.h.) was evaluated by quantifying digestive enzyme activities using biochemical techniques. Results showed that black snook larvae have alkaline proteases at hatching, which are known to be important during the first days of feeding for digestion. Toward the end of the study, acid proteases concentration increased (37 d.a.h.). Enzymes for lipid digestion, pancreatic lipase and bile salt‐activated lipase, were already present in the larvae before exogenous feeding commenced, and their activity increased with age and growth (length). Intracellular digestion, measured as the activity of leucine‐alanine peptidase, was high early on (5 d.a.h.) and decreased as development progressed (next 32 d). In contrast, alkaline phosphatase activity was lowest at first feeding and subsequently increased with age. Overall patterns in enzyme activity suggest the possibility of live feed weaning before 32 d.a.h. if artificial diets can be properly balanced.     

Comparative Characterization of Enzymatic Digestion from Fish and Soybean Meal from Simulated Digestive Process of Pacific Bluefin Tuna,Thunnus orientalis

The digestive process of the Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT), Thunnus orientalis, was simulated through two phases of in vitro digestion: acidic digestion with porcine pepsin, followed by alkaline digestion with pancreatic crude extract (PCE) obtained from the PBT to hydrolyze fish meal (FM) and soybean meal (SBM) as protein substrates. The crude protein from FM resulted in a lower degree of hydrolysis (73.3%) compared with SBM (79.2%). However, the resulting digested products showed that FM contained 35% more small peptides, with sizes <6.5 kDa than those from the starting material (>150 kDa). The SBM had an increase of only 1.3% in the similar peptide cut‐offs found after hydrolysis. These results suggested that FM appeared to be a better source of protein according to the amount of low‐molecular weight peptides. In addition, the proteolytic activity of PCE showed that 88.9% of its alkaline proteolytic activity corresponded to trypsin and 2.9% corresponded to chymotrypsin activity. The results shown here demonstrate that peptide sizes are important in identifying suitable protein sources for aquafeed production to reinforce the primary results obtained from the in vitro digestibility using the pH‐Stat system. These results also contribute to a better understanding of the digestibility process in aquatic organisms.     

Population‐level effects of egg predation on a native planktivore in a large freshwater lake

Using a 37‐year recruitment time series, we uncovered a field pattern revealing a strong, inverse relationship between bloater Coregonus hoyi recruitment success and slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus biomass in Lake Michigan (United States), one of the largest freshwater lakes of the world. Given that slimy sculpins (and deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii) are known egg predators that spatiotemporally overlap with incubating bloater eggs, we used recently published data on sculpin diets and daily ration to model annual bloater egg consumption by sculpins for the 1973–2010 year‐classes. Although several strong year‐classes were produced in the late 1980s when the proportion of eggs consumed by slimy sculpins was extremely low (i.e., <0.001) and several weak year‐classes were produced when the proportion of bloater eggs consumed was at its highest (i.e., >0.10–1.0), egg predation failed to explain why recruitment was weak for the 1995–2005 year‐classes when the proportion consumed was also low (i.e., <0.02). We concluded that egg predation by slimy and deepwater sculpins could have limited bloater recruitment in some years, but that some undetermined factor was more important in many other years. Given that slimy sculpin densities are influenced by piscivorous lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, the restoration of which in Lake Michigan has lagged behind those in lakes Superior and Huron, our study highlights the importance of an ecosystem perspective when considering population dynamics of fishes.     

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Barodon on Growth Performance,Innate Immunity and Disease Resistance of Juvenile Olive Flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus,Against Streptococcus iniae

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of Barodon, an anionic alkali mineral complex, on growth, feed utilization, humoral innate immunity and disease resistance of olive flounder. A basal experimental diet was used as a control and supplemented with 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, or 0.5% Barodon. Triplicate groups of fish (26.4 ± 0.2 g) were fed one of the diets to apparent satiation twice daily for 10 wk. The growth performance was enhanced (P < 0.05) linearly and quadratically in fish fed diets containing Barodon compared with that in fish fed the control. Feed utilization was significantly improved by Barodon supplementation. Serum lysozyme and antiprotease activities were increased quadratically in Barodon fed groups. Also, significantly higher superoxide dismutase activity was found in Barodon‐fed fish. Dietary supplementation of 0.1–0.3% Barodon resulted in significant enhancement of fish disease resistance against Streptococcus iniae. The findings in this study indicate that dietary supplementation of Barodon can enhance growth, feed utilization, innate immunity, and disease resistance of olive flounder and that the optimum level seems to be 0.1% in diets.