Search

Green microalgae are single-celled eukaryotic organisms that, in recent years, are becoming increasingly important in the nutraceutical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical fields because of their high content of bioactive compounds. In this study, a particular green microalga was isolated from freshwater highland lakes of Ecuador and morphologically and molecularly identified as Chlamydomonas agloeformis (ChA), and it was studied for nutritional and nutraceutical properties. The phenolic composition and the fatty acids profile of lyophilized cells were determined. The methanolic extract was analyzed for the phenolic compounds profile and the antioxidant capacity by means of in vitro tests. Finally, Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells (HMEC-1) were exploited to explore the capacity of ChA to reduce the endothelial damage induced by oxidized LDL-mediated oxidative stress. The extract showed a good antioxidant ability thanks to the high content in polyphenolic compounds. The observed decrease in HMEC-1 cells endothelial damage also was probably due to the antioxidant compounds present in the extract. Based on the outcomes of our in vitro assays, ChA demonstrated to be a promising source of bioactive compounds possessing exceptional antioxidant capacities which make it a prospective functional food.

Recently, green microalgae have gained importance due to their nutritional and bioactive compounds, which makes them some of the most promising and innovative functional foods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical profile and the in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial and antimutagenic activity of an aqueous extract of the green microalga Ettlia pseudoalveolaris, obtained from the freshwater lakes of the Ecuadorian Highlands. Human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) were used to determine the ability of the microalga to reduce the endothelial damage caused by hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. Furthermore, the eukaryotic system Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to evaluate the possible cytotoxic, mutagenic and antimutagenic effect of E. pseudoalveolaris. The extract showed a notable antioxidant capacity and a moderate antibacterial activity mostly due to the high content in polyphenolic compounds. It is likely that the antioxidant compounds present in the extract were also responsible for the observed reduction in endothelial damage of HMEC-1 cells. An antimutagenic effect through a direct antioxidant mechanism was also found. Based on the results of in vitro assays, E. pseudoalveolaris proved to be a good source of bioactive compounds and antioxidant, antibacterial and antimutagenic capacities making it a potential functional food.

Background: Oxidative stress is crucial in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Under the generic terms “oxidative stress” (OS), many biomarkers belonging to different pathways have been proposed. Aim: To compare the levels of recently proposed OS-related parameters in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and stable coronary artery disease (CAD), to evaluate their effectiveness as additive risk or illness indicators of stable and acute ischemic events, and their response over time during the course of AMI. Methods: 76 ACS, 77 CAD patients, and 63 controls were enrolled in the study. Different OS-related biomarkers, including reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM), the total antioxidant capacity (OXY), nitrite/nitrate (final nitric oxide products, NOx), and Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1), were evaluated. Moreover, time response during AMI course (admission, and 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48 hours after, T0-T6, respectively) and correlation with traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking habit) were also assessed. Results: Over time, ROM progressively increased while OXY and NOx decreased. Kinetics of LOX-1 during AMI shows that this biomarker boosts early during the acute event (T1 and T2) and then progressively decreases, being significantly lower from T0 to T6. Different OS-related biomarkers were differentially associated with CV risk factors and CAD or ACS presence. Conclusion: Differences in OS-related biomarkers (between groups, according to the response over time during AMI, and to the presence of CV risk factors) confirmed OS involvement in the transition from healthy status to stable CAD and ACS, although evidencing the heterogeneous nature of redox processes. In future, a multi-marker panel including different biomarkers and pathways of oxidative stress could be evaluated as an additive tool to be used in the CV prevention, diagnosis, patient stratification, and treatment.