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A single-step and rapid chromatographic method-based purification of Gracilaria corticata (J. Agardh) R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) was attained using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) technique without affecting structural integrity. The purified R-PE had a characteristic UV–Vis spectrum with three absorbance maxima at 496, 535, and 565 nm, and fluorescence at 575 nm. R-PE was obtained with a purity index of 4.2 and a recovery yield of 44.3%. SDS-PAGE analysis exhibited three sub-units i.e., 18, 21, and 31 kDa, which corresponds to α, β, and γ, respectively. This report's purification process was considered less time-consuming and could be efficiently applied to purify phycobiliproteins. The purified R-PE showed optimal stability up to 6 h at pH 7.0 when exposed to light (3000 lx), while the temperature at which the maximum stability was retained was at 20 °C. The cellular imaging property of R-PE was effectively implemented to evaluate its credentials without affecting the cell proliferation of Vero and Hep-2 cell lines with the higher IC50 concentrations in vitro. Under fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis, purified R-PE displayed the characteristic affinity towards cell imaging functions in preliminary in vitro studies.

Brown seaweed polysaccharides (BSPs) are one of the primary active components from brown seaweed that has a range of pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. However, the quality control of BSPs is a challenge due to their complicated structure and macromolecule. In this study, saccharide mapping based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), multi-angle laser light scattering, viscometer, and refractive index detector (HPSEC-MALLS-Vis-RID), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) were used to discriminate the polysaccharides from nine different species of brown algae (BA1-9). The results showed that BSPs were composed of β-D-glucans and β-1,3−1,4-glucan linkages. The molecular weight, radius of gyration, and intrinsic viscosity of BSPs were ranging from 1.718 × 105 Da to 6.630 × 105 Da, 30.2 nm to 51.5 nm, and 360.99 mL/g to 865.52 mL/g, respectively. Moreover, α values of BSPs were in the range of 0.635 to 0.971, which indicated a rigid rod chain conformation. The antioxidant activities of BSPs exhibited substantial radical scavenging activities against DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2, 2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals, which indicated that the use of BSPs might be a potential approach for antioxidant supplements. Thus, this study gives insights about the structure-function relationship of BSPs, which will be beneficial to improve the quality of polysaccharides derived from marine algae.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) has become a global chronic disease that keeps increasing. This study was to explore the treatment effectiveness of two functional zwitterionic laminarins, zwitterionic sulfonate (LZS) and zwitterionic carboxylate (LZC), in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced mouse model. FT-IR and NMR techniques were used to characterize the aforementioned functional zwitterion. Compared to UC mice, the composition and diversity of gut microbiota were significantly increased in the treated mice. Specifically, the composition of Bacteroidetes increased and the level of Firmicutes decreased. Moreover, we demonstrated the alleviation of colitis by LZS and LZC reflected by the improved integrity of intestinal mucosa, which includes increased number of goblet cells, mucin protein production, maintenance of collagens, as well as the lower extent of intestinal fibrosis. These findings indicated the potentials of LZC and LZS as promising agents to prevent colitis via adjusting gut microbiota and maintaining intestinal barrier integrity.

Ten marine species, including different crabs, bivalve molluscs, and fish intestines were selected to screen the natural antimicrobial protein or peptide as they are enriched with various microorganisms. The crude extract from Varuna litterata, a marine crab which is used as a raw material in the preparation of pickled crabs in Chaoshan area of China, was proved to have a potent bacteriostatic effect against gram-negative bacterium (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive bacterium(Staphylococcus aureus) compared with other marine species. The crude proteins of Varunalitterata were salted-out for preliminary purification and further purified by gel filtration (Sephadex G-150) or anion exchange (DEAE-cellulose 52) chromatographic column. An increase in the antimicrobial activity was noted with the increase in the purity level of the protein. A relatively pure protein was eventually obtained, which was determined to be belonging to the hemocyanin family based on the mass spectrometric data analysis. The purified proteins solution (1 mg/ml) from Varuna litterata exhibited similar antimicrobial activity to that of gentamycin sulfate (0.2 mg/ml), which were relatively stable in a certain pH or temperature range. A structure-activity relationship of the purified hemocyanin was determined based on the interaction of hemocyanin and different chromatographic medium, which revealed that the integrated hexamers played a remarkable role in its bacteriostatic activity. Moreover, the phenoloxidase activity of hemocyanin from Varuna litterata was found as the underlying cause of its antimicrobial potential.

The potential of multifunctional wound heal biomaterial relies on the optimal content of therapeutic constituents as well as the desirable physical, chemical, and biological properties to accelerate the healing process. Formulating biomaterials such as amnion or collagen based scaffolds with natural products offer an affordable strategy to develop dressing material with high efficiency in healing wounds. Using image based phenotyping and quantification, we screened natural product derived bioactive compounds for modulators of types I and III collagen production from human foreskin derived fibroblast cells. The identified hit was then formulated with amnion to develop a biomaterial, and its biophysical properties, in vitro and in vivo effects were characterized. In addition, we performed functional profiling analyses by PCR array to understand the effect of individual components of these materials on various genes such as inflammatory mediators including chemokines and cytokines, growth factors, fibroblast stimulating markers for collagen secretion, matrix metalloproteinases, etc., associated with wound healing. FACS based cell cycle analyses were carried out to evaluate the potential of biomaterials for induction of proliferation of fibroblasts. Western blot analyses was done to examine the effect of biomaterial on collagen synthesis by cells and compared to cells grown in the presence of growth factors. This work demonstrated an uncomplicated way of identifying components that synergistically promote healing. Besides, we demonstrated that modulating local wound environment using biomaterials with bioactive compounds could enhance healing. This study finds that the developed biomaterials offer immense scope for healing wounds by means of their skin regenerative features such as anti-inflammatory, fibroblast stimulation for collagen secretion as well as inhibition of enzymes and markers impeding the healing, hydrodynamic properties complemented with other features including non-toxicity, biocompatibility, and safety.

Decalepis arayalpathra is an endangered and endemic medicinal plant, mainly used for its aromatic and ethno-medical properties. In this study, we reported the biomedical potentials of 2-hydoxy 4-methylbenzaldehyde (2H4MB) from D. arayalpathra. The compound 2H4MB was isolated from fleshy root barks of the plants using steam-hydro distillation extraction method and quantified using HPLC analysis, which yielded 6.5 ± 0.8 μg g−1 of purified compound. Further, the antioxidant and anticancer effects in vitro were studied in detail using MDA-MB-231 cells by cell-based assays. 2H4MB was observed to display the features such as generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), improved cytotoxicity, loss of mitochondrial membrane (Δψm) potential, and nuclear DNA fragmentations, leading to induce cellular apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Further, the bioavailability of 2H4MB may facilitate its use as a potential cancer therapeutic agent.

Objective To evaluate the antioxidant and anticancer potential of different fractions of bark of Costus pictus using various in vitro antioxidant assay systems. Methods In this study, assay like DPPH radical, superoxide anion radical scavenging activity, nitric oxide scavenging activity, hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, metal chelating activity and reducing power were used. The concentrations of total phenolic and flavonoids were also calculated for the extracts. Result The present study elucidated for the first time the antioxidant property of bark of C. pictus . This study suggested that, among the three fractions, the chloroform fraction possesses high antioxidant activity which might be helpful in preventing or slowing the progress of various oxidative stress related disorders. Moreover, all fractions possess potent anticancer properties against colon cancer cells of HT29 and lung carcinoma cells of A549. Conclusions It can be concluded that the extract of the bark of C. pictus has potential natural antioxidant and this can be used in food industries. There are few reports on the antioxidant capacity of bark of C. pictus and the mechanism of different fractions of bark of C. pictus as antioxidative agents is still not fully understood. Hence further research is underway to analyse and isolate the active compounds responsible for the antioxidant and anticancer activity of different fractions of the bark of C. pictus .