Recent studies have shown that marine algae represent a great source of natural compounds with several properties. The lipidic extract of the seaweed
(Chlorophyta, Cladophorales), one of the dominant ...species in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Mediterranean, Ionian Sea), revealed an antibacterial activity against
and
, common pathogens in aquaculture, suggesting its potential employment to control fish and shellfish diseases due to vibriosis and to reduce the public health hazards related to antibiotic use in aquaculture. This extract showed also an antioxidant activity, corresponding to 170.960 ± 16. mmol Trolox equivalent/g (oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay-ORAC) and to 30.554 ± 2.30 mmol Trolox equivalent/g (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay-TEAC). The chemical characterization of the extract, performed by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, highlighted the presence of free, saturated (SAFAs), unsaturated (UFAs) and polyunsaturated (PUFAs) fatty acids. The high content of ω-6 and ω-3 PUFAs confirmed also by gas chromatography indicates the potentiality of this algal species in the production of fortified food. The antibacterial activity seems related to the presence of linolenic acid present at high density, while the antioxidant activity could be likely ascribable to molecules such as carotenoids and chlorophylls (characterized also by thin-layer chromatography), known for this property. The presence of polyhydroxybutyrate, a biopolymer with potentiality in the field of biodegradable bioplastics was also detected. The exploitation of
for a future biotechnological application is also encouraged by the results from a first attempt of cultivating this species in an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system.
Metabolomics is a powerful tool in food sciences, widely used in food analysis for authenticity and traceability assessment and regulatory compliance, processing, quality, and safety ...
Olive possesses excellent nutritional and economic values for its main healthy products. Among them, a high content of antioxidant compounds, balanced during the ripening process, are produced under ...genetic and environmental control, resulting in high variability among cultivars. The genes involved in these complex pathways are mainly known, but despite many studies which indicated the key role of light quality and quantity for the synthesis of many metabolites in plants, limited information on these topics is available in olive. We carried out a targeted gene expression profiling in three olive cultivars, Cellina di Nardò, Ruveia, and Salella, which were selected for their contrasting oleic acid and phenolic content. The –omics combined approach revealed a direct correlation between a higher expression of the main flavonoid genes and the high content of these metabolites in ‘Cellina di Nardò’. Furthermore, it confirmed the key role of FAD2-2 in the linoleic acid biosynthesis. More interestingly, in all the comparisons, a co-regulation of genes involved in photoperception and circadian clock machinery suggests a key role of light in orchestrating the regulation of these pathways in olive. Therefore, the identified genes in our analyses might represent a useful tool to support olive breeding, although further investigations are needed.
Macrophages release not only cytokines but also extracellular vesicles (EVs). which are small membrane-derived nanovesicles with virus-like properties transferring cellular material between cells. ...Until now, the consequences of macrophage plasticity on the release and the composition of EVs have been poorly explored. In this study, we determined the impact of high-glucose (HG) concentrations on macrophage metabolism, and characterized their derived-EV subpopulations. Finally, we determined whether HG-treated macrophage-derived EVs participate in immune responses and in metabolic alterations of skeletal muscle cells.
THP1-macrophages were treated with 15mM (MG15) or 30mM (MG30) glucose. Then, M1/M2 canonical markers, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, activities of proteins involved in glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation were evaluated. Macrophage-derived EVs were characterized by TEM, NTA, MRSP, and
H-Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for lipid composition. Macrophages or C2C12 muscle cells were used as recipients of MG15 and MG30-derived EVs. The lipid profiles of recipient cells were determined, as well as proteins and mRNA levels of relevant genes for macrophage polarization or muscle metabolism.
Untreated macrophages released small and large EVs (sEVs, lEVs) with different lipid distributions. Proportionally to the glucose concentration, glycolysis was induced in macrophages, associated to mitochondrial dysfunction, triacylglycerol and cholesterol accumulation. In addition, MG15 and MG30 macrophages had increased level of CD86 and increase release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. HG also affected macrophage sphingolipid and phospholipid compositions. The differences in the lipid profiles between sEVs and lEVs were abolished and reflected the lipid alterations in MG15 and MG30 macrophages. Interestingly, MG15 and MG30 macrophages EVs induced the expression of CD163, Il-10 and increased the contents of triacylglycerol and cholesterol in recipient macrophages. MG15 lEVs and sEVs induced insulin-induced AKT hyper-phosphorylation and accumulation of triacylglycerol in myotubes, a state observed in pre-diabetes. Conversely, MG30 lEVs and sEVs induced insulin-resistance in myotubes.
As inflammation involves first M1 macrophages, then the activation of M2 macrophages to resolve inflammation, this study demonstrates that the dialog between macrophages through the EV route is an intrinsic part of the inflammatory response. In a hyperglycemic context, EV macrophages could participate in the development of muscle insulin-resistance and chronic inflammation.
Considering the growing number of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) producers in the world, knowing the influence of olive oils with different geographical origins on the characteristics of the final ...blend becomes an interesting goal. The present work is focused on commercial organic EVOO blends obtained by mixing multiple oils from different geographical origins. These blends have been studied by 1H-NMR spectroscopy supported by multivariate statistical analysis. Specific characteristics of commercial organic EVOO blends originated by mixing oils from Italy, Tunisia, Portugal, Spain, and Greece were found to be associated with the increasing content of the Italian component. A linear progression of the metabolic profile defined characteristics for the analysed samples—up to a plateau level—was found in relation to the content of the main constituent of the Italian oil, the monocultivar Coratina. The Italian constituent percentage appears to be correlated with the fatty acids (oleic) and the polyphenols (tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, and derivatives) content as major and minor components respectively. These results, which highlight important economic aspects, also show the utility of 1H-NMR associated with chemometric analysis as a powerful tool in this field. Mixing oils of different national origins, to obtain blends with specific characteristics, could be profitably controlled by this methodology.
Jellyfish outbreaks in marine coastal areas represent an emergent problem worldwide, with negative consequences on human activities and ecosystem functioning. However, potential positive effects of ...jellyfish biomass proliferation may be envisaged as a natural source of bioactive compounds of pharmaceutical interest. We investigated the biochemical composition of mature female gonads and lysozyme antibacterial activity of oocytes in the Mediterranean barrel jellyfish
. Chemical characterization was performed by means of multinuclear and multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. The ovaries of
were mainly composed of water (93.7 ± 1.9% of wet weight), with organic matter (OM) and dry weight made respectively of proteins (761.76 ± 25.11 µg mg
and 45.7 ± 1.5%), lipids (192.17 ± 10.56 µg mg
and 9.6 ± 0.6%), and carbohydrates (59.66 ± 2.72 µg mg
and 3.7 ± 0.3%). The aqueous extract of
gonads contained free amino acids, organic acids, and derivatives; the lipid extract was composed of triglycerides (TG), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), diunsaturated fatty acids (DUFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), saturated fatty acids (SFAs), and minor components such as sterols and phospholipids. The
oocyte lysate exhibited an antibacterial lysozyme-like activity (mean diameter of lysis of 9.33 ± 0.32 mm corresponding to 1.21 mg/mL of hen egg-white lysozyme). The occurrence of defense molecules is a crucial mechanism to grant healthy development of mature eggs and fertilized embryos (and the reproductive success of the species) by preventing marine bacterial overgrowth. As a corollary, these results call for future investigations for an exploitation of
biomasses as a resource of bioactive metabolites of biotechnological importance including pharmaceuticals and nutrition.
The lipidic extract of Undaria pinnatifida, one of the worst invasive species, was investigated for its potential exploitation in biotechnological applications. The antimicrobial activity of the ...lipidic extract in three different portions (blade, sporophyll, and holdfast) was assessed by using the Kirby–Bauer method, while the antioxidant activity was evaluated by the TEAC, ORAC, and Folin–Ciocalteu assays. NMR spectroscopy and thin-layer chromatography were employed for the chemical characterization. The extracts showed antibacterial activity against several of the tested Vibrio species: V. aestuarinus, V. fischeri, V. furnisii, V. inusitatus, V. litoralis, and V. mediterranei, including some pathogens for farmed fish. Intriguing antioxidant activity was recorded, with the highest value in the blade (126.907 ± 28.993 mmol Trolox equivalent/g TEAC). Free, saturated, unsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids were highlighted by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The presence of ω-3 and ω-6 PUFAs indicates the importance of this algal species in the food industry. We suggest the employment of U. pinnatifida as source of new and safer therapeutic agents to control fish and shellfish diseases due to vibriosis, as well as a source of natural antioxidants that are useful for human health, considering the growing interest in the development of strategies for invasive seaweed control.
subsp.
is a bacterial phytopathogen associated with the "olive quick decline syndrome" (OQDS) causing severe economic losses to olive groves in Salento area (Apulia, Italy). In a previous work, we ...analyzed by
H-NMR the metabolic pattern of naturally infected Ogliarola salentina and Cellina di Nardò susceptible cultivars untreated and treated with a zinc-copper citric acid biocomplex and we observed the treatment related variation of the disease biomarker quinic acid. In this study, we focused also on the Leccino cultivar, known to exhibit tolerance to the disease progression. The
H-NMR-based metabolomic approach was applied with the aim to characterize the overall metabolism of tolerant Leccino in comparison with the susceptible cultivars Ogliarola salentina and Cellina di Nardò under periodic mid-term treatment. In particular, we studied the leaf extract molecular patterns of naturally infected trees untreated and treated with the biocomplex. The metabolic Leccino profiles were analyzed for the first time and compared with those exhibited by the susceptible Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola salentina cultivars. The study highlighted a specificity in the metabolic response of the tolerant Leccino compared to susceptible cultivars. These differences provide useful information to describe the defensive mechanisms underlying the change of metabolites as a response to the infection, and the occurrence of different levels of disease, season and treatment effects for olive cultivars.
subsp.
is responsible for the "olive quick decline syndrome" (OQDS) in Salento (Apulia). The main epidemiological aspects of the syndrome are related to the pathogen spread and survival in the area, ...and to the biology of the insect vector. The assessment of the macro and microelements content (i.e., ionome) in soil and leaves could provide basic and useful information. Indeed, knowledge of host ionomic composition and the possibility of its modification could represent a potential tool for the management of diseases caused by
. Therefore, soil and leaf ionomes of naturally infected, not infected, and zinc-copper-citric acid biocomplex treated trees of different areas of Apulia and the bordering Basilicata regions were compared. We observed that soil and leaf ionomic composition of olive farms growing in the pathogen-free areas north of the Salento Barletta-Andria-Trani BAT (Apulia) and Potenza PZ (Basilicata, Apulia bordering region) provinces is significantly different from that shown by the infected olive groves of the Salento areas (LE, BR, TA provinces). In particular, a higher content of zinc and copper both in soil and leaves was found in the studied northern areas in comparison to the southern areas. This finding could partly explain the absence of OQDS in those areas. In the infected Salento areas, the leaf ionomic profile resulted as being markedly different for the biocomplex treated compared to the untreated trees. A higher zinc content in leaves characterized treated with respect to untreated trees. On the other hand, among the not-infected trees,
-resistant Leccino showed higher manganese content when compared with the higher pathogen sensitive Ogliarola salentina and Cellina di Nardò. According to these results, soil and olive leaf ionome could provide basic information for the epidemiologic study and possible control of
subsp.
in Apulia.
During the last few years, the global demand for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is increased. Olive oil represents a significant percentage of world fat consumption determining an important ...development of its market. In this context, the problems related to counterfeiting and product fraud is becoming extremely relevant. Thus, the quality and authenticity control of EVOOs is nowadays mandatory. In this study we focused on the use of 1H NMR technique associated with multivariate statistical analysis to characterize Italian EVOOs commercial blends. In particular, a specific database including 126 monocultivar EVOOs reference samples, was used to characterize a total of 241 Italian EVOOs blends over four consecutive harvesting years. Moreover, the effect of the minor components (phenolic compounds) on the qualitative characterization of blended EVOOs was also evaluated. The correlation analysis of classification scores obtained using two pairwise orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis models (built with major and combined major–minor components NMR data) revealed that both could be profitably used to generally classify the studied Coratina containing blends.
PDF
