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Marine Drugs
Special Issues
Advances in Algal Biotechnology
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Advances in Algal Biotechnology

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Biotechnology Related to Drug Discovery or Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 4071

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marco F. L. Lemos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Politécnico de Leiria, 2520-614 Peniche, Portugal
Interests: biotechnology; bioeconomy; biomarkers; circular economy; stress biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Carina Félix

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Politécnico de Leiria, 2520-614 Peniche, Portugal
Interests: biotechnology; marine resources valorization; microbiology; genomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Micro and macroalgae, due to their life-traits and specific characteristics, are recognized as possessing a vast array of compounds holding numerous known and, as of yet, unknown uses, from their utilization in feeds and agriculture to cosmeceuticals and drug development. Algal biomass is thus a natural, sustainable, and prominent source of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, tissue-specific protection, which also possesses antimicrobial, anti-tumoral, antifouling, and several other bioactive compounds.

Moreover, the present global agendas, such as the UN Sustainable Development 2030 Agenda or the European Green Deal, urge the need for a sustainable bioeconomy strategy with an emphasis on greener, circular, and zero waste processes. In this framework, state-of-the-art techniques allied with multiple uses of algal biomasses in biorefinery pipelines offer industries immense opportunities to meet and address societal challenges, deploying sustainable biobased solutions onto the market.

This Special Issue will cover review articles, communications, and research papers addressing micro and macroalgae compounds and their biological activities, recent advances in algal biotechnology, and their applications or potential applications.

Dr. Marco F. L. Lemos
Dr. Carina Félix
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • applied biotechnology
  • bioactive secondary metabolites
  • bioeconomy
  • biological assay
  • biorefineries
  • blue biotechnology
  • circular economy
  • marine biomass
  • marine natural products

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3064 KiB  
Article
Induction of Browning in White Adipocytes: Fucoidan Characterization and Gold Nanoparticle Synthesis from Undaria pinnatifida Sporophyll Extract
by Sun Young Park, Kangmin Park, Hye Mi Kang, Woo Chang Song, Jin-Woo Oh, Young-Whan Choi and Geuntae Park
Mar. Drugs 2023, 21(12), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/md21120603 - 23 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1294
Abstract
Seaweed extracts and their specific polysaccharides are widely known for their ability to act as reducing and capping agents during nanoparticle synthesis. Their application is highly favored in green synthesis methods, owing to their eco-friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and remarkable time and energy efficiency. In [...] Read more.
Seaweed extracts and their specific polysaccharides are widely known for their ability to act as reducing and capping agents during nanoparticle synthesis. Their application is highly favored in green synthesis methods, owing to their eco-friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and remarkable time and energy efficiency. In this study, fucoidan extracted from Undaria pinnatifida sporophyll (UPS) is introduced as a polysaccharide that effectively serves as a dual-function reducing and capping agent for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Results from various analyses indicate that AuNPs derived from UPS extract display a uniform spherical shape with an average size of 28.34 ± 1.15 nm and a zeta potential of −37.49 ± 2.13 mV, conclusively confirming the presence of Au. The FT-IR spectra distinctly revealed the characteristic fucoidan bands on the stabilized UPS-AuNPs surface. A 1H-NMR analysis provided additional confirmation by revealing the presence of specific fucoidan protons on the UPS-AuNPs surface. To comprehensively evaluate the impact of UPS extract, UPS-AuNPs, and fucoidan on the biological properties of adipocytes, a rigorous comparative analysis of lipid droplet formation and morphology was conducted. Our findings revealed that adipocytes treated with UPS extract, fucoidan, and UPS-AuNPs, in that order, exhibited a reduction in the total lipid droplet surface area, maximum Ferret diameter, and overall Nile red staining intensity when compared to mature white adipocytes. Furthermore, our analysis of the effects of UPS extracts, UPS-AuNPs, and fucoidan on the expression of key markers associated with white adipose tissue browning, such as UCP1, PGC1a, and PRDM16, demonstrated increased mRNA and protein expression levels in the following order: UPS-AuNPs > fucoidan > UPS extracts. Notably, the production of active mitochondria, which play a crucial role in enhancing energy expenditure in beige adipocytes, also increased in the following order: UPS-AuNPs > fucoidan > UPS extract. These findings underscore the pivotal role of UPS extract, fucoidan, and UPS-AuNPs in promoting adipocyte browning and subsequently enhancing energy expenditure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Algal Biotechnology)
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17 pages, 5244 KiB  
Article
Arctic Sea Ice Microalga Chlamydomonas latifrons KNF0041: Identification and Statistical Optimization of Medium for Enhanced Biomass and Omega-3/Omega-6
by Hyunsik Chae, Sanghee Kim, Han-Gu Choi, Ji Hee Kim, Se Jong Han and Eun Jae Kim
Mar. Drugs 2023, 21(8), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/md21080454 - 17 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1141
Abstract
Polar microorganisms produce biologically active compounds that enable them to survive in harsh environments. These compounds have potential biomedical applications. The green microalga Chlamydomonas latifrons KNF0041, isolated from Arctic sea ice, has been found to produce polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including omega-3 and [...] Read more.
Polar microorganisms produce biologically active compounds that enable them to survive in harsh environments. These compounds have potential biomedical applications. The green microalga Chlamydomonas latifrons KNF0041, isolated from Arctic sea ice, has been found to produce polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including omega-3 and omega-6, which have antioxidant properties. To improve the biomass production of strain KNF0041, statistical methods such as the Plackett–Burman design, Box–Behnken design, and response surface methodology (RSM) were utilized for medium optimization. The optimized medium was designed with increased potassium phosphate content and reduced acetic acid (AcOH) content. The use of the optimized medium resulted in an increase in the cell number as biomass of strain KNF0041 by 34.18% and the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid (FA) content by 10.04% and 58.29%, respectively, compared to that in normal TAP medium, which is known as the growth medium for Chlamydomonas culture. In this study, Chlamydomonas latifrons was discovered for the first time in the polar region and identified using morphology and molecular phylogenetic analyses, the secondary structures of the internal transcribed spacers, and optimized culture conditions. The results of this study provide an efficient method for the application of polar microalgae for the production of bioactive compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Algal Biotechnology)
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