The nutraceutical market has experienced a significant growth over the last years, due to changing consumer preferences towards products of natural and organic origin. One of the main areas of ...interest in this field is microalgae-derived carotenoids, whose antioxidant activity protects against oxidative damage in human cells. The diatom
Phaeodactylum tricornutum
has been widely studied due to its high fucoxanthin content (antioxidant carotenoid). However, pilot and industrial scale experiments to realize continuous and stable production of
P. tricornutum
and extracted fucoxanthin are limited. For this reason, this research focuses on the study of the fucoxanthin production, going through culture, harvesting, scaling procedure and encapsulation stage. Finally, the optimal culture conditions for a fucoxanthin production of 2.5 mg/day/L were verified. Furthermore, the antioxidant capacity showed a decrease during storage, but still presented a capacity of 18 months, with improved performance when encapsulated with spirulina. The study carried out on encapsulated fucoxanthin-spirulina shows an inhibitory effect on lipogenesis at all concentrations tested in the 3T3-L1 cell line and a lipolytic efficacy at concentrations of 0.2 mg/mL and 0.1 mg/mL in the 3T3-L1 cell line.
In recent decades, the worldwide production of microalgae has been carried out on an industrial scale. In recent years, the market for natural products has grown because of changes in consumer ...preferences for more natural products. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the hepatoprotective capacity of fucoxanthin extract obtained from an industrial culture of the microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Culture Collection of Alga and Protists in Scotland). The microalga was grown in an artificial and natural seawater mixture (1:9), using Walne’s culture medium in columns and raceway photobioreactors (RWP) inside a greenhouse. The carotenoid content in the tested systems continued to increase from day 5 of the culture, when the stationary phase was reached. The final biomass powder contained 4.9 mg (2.59%) of pure fucoxanthin. The possible hepatoprotective activity of fucoxanthin was then studied in the HepG2 cell line for 24 h in culture, and compared with the cytotoxicity of methotrexate (MTX). In conclusion, the active ingredient showed hepatoprotective activity against MTX in the human hepatocyte cell line HEPG-2 at a concentration of 0.25 mg/mL. The current results also suggest that it has beneficial properties for liver health and is a suitable ingredient for all types of nutraceutical products.
Microalgae recently emerged as an alternative resource to terrestrial plant-based biomass for the bio-economy, limiting the competition with food production. Whereas its main field of application is ...into biofuels and bioenergy products, recent developments have shown the potential of microalgae biomass for product manufacturing, including Metal Working Fluids (MWF). The environmental impact of such products, as compared to fossil-based alternatives, remains however questionable as there is a knowledge gap in published literature on the topic. This paper presents a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of microalgae-based MWF, the first of its kind to our best knowledge. Primary life cycle inventories data were collected related to the production of microalgae oil from two distinct algae species, Nannochloropsis gaditana and Acutodesmus obliquus. The inventory considered the cultivation over four seasons into open raceway photobioreactor and into close vertical photobioreactor. The LCA results were then compared with the LCA of rapeseed oil-based MWF and conventional mineral oil-based MWF, to identify optimization levers.
The study demonstrates that major improvements are needed to make the microalgae-based MWF process better from an environmental standpoint than its vegetable and mineral alternatives. Depending on algae species impacts from vegetable and mineral alternatives are 55–95% lower on Climate Change, 20–95% lower on Water use, and 85–95% lower on Fossil resource use. Electricity consumption during the cultivation and harvest stages, fertiliser and nutrient consumptions are the most significant contributors to environmental impacts. LCA results were found to be highly sensitive to the scenarios assessed, the background electricity mix and the allocation choices on co-products from the production of microalgae oil.
•Comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment of microalgae-based Metal Working Fluid (MWF).•Primary life cycle inventories for microalgae production at semi-industrial scale.•Major improvements required so the microalgae-based MWF becomes environmentally competitive with conventional alternatives.•LCA results are sensitive to algae cultivation technical and seasonal variability.•Allocation of co-products from algae oil production significantly affects LCA results.
The unceasing rise in human population has provoked large environmental damage, essentially in air and water habitats. Microalgae have been deeply investigated regarding wastewater treatment as well ...as a suitable biofuel feedstock. Nevertheless, process optimization and the search for new local strains are imperative to overcome the cost-effectiveness bottleneck that persist in large-scale technology. Linked to this, micro-diversity studies in landfill leachates have been done. However, there has been no study which analysed specifically the microalgal diversity outside of this less-explored environment to see their biotechnological potential. Hence, a specific study of microalgal diversity present in leachates produced by a non-hazardous waste landfill (mainly for municipal solid waste MSW) located in Asturias (Spain) was done. The new strain
Chlorella vulgaris
DSAF was isolated and identified based on both morphological and molecular methods. Some parameters based on site-climate conditions were studied to understand
C. vulgaris
DSAF behaviour. The modification in the lipid content and FAMEs profile in response to the stress caused by the addition of NaCl and nutrient deprivation were also studied. The stress induction produced significant morphological changes when compared to control group (e.g., bigger cell sizes). Specifically, the addition of 25 g L
-1
of NaCl achieved an increase of 25% of biomass. Total lipids increased under nutrient deprivation (N, P and NP) from 13 to 34% (w/w). Oleic acid was the most abundant fatty acid, reaching 50% of total FAMEs under NP deprivation conditions. Linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid also showed a moderate increase during NaCl stress. The positive results during calculation of the main biodiesel properties determined that
C. vulgaris
DSAF would be a potential biodiesel feedstock under different cultivation conditions.
Climate variability affects agricultural production systems and rural communities, generating risks to food security and increasing rural poverty. Therefore, improving the capacity of rural ...households to adapt to climate variability has become one of the greatest challenges for international and national institutions. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of rural households’ livelihood strategies with regard to their vulnerability and adaptation to climate variability. We systematically selected 162 rural households from 10 municipalities in the department of Huila (Colombia). Households were grouped according to their livelihood strategies, using 13 variables representative of their productive characteristics. Subsequently, three indices related to climate vulnerability were determined: a. exposure (climate variability between 1990 and 2012), b. sensitivity, and c. adaptive capacity. For the latter two, the community capitals framework was used. Using the three indices above, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s proposed vulnerability index was determined. We found seven livelihood strategies: i. Cattlemen-Cocoa Farmers, ii. Livestock-Cocoa Farmers, iii. Employees-Cocoa Farmers, iv. Cocoa Farmers, v. Diversified Farmers, vi. Landlords-Cocoa Farmers and vii. Coffee Farmers. Degree of vulnerability to climate variability was related to the livelihood strategy of rural households: those best endowed with capitals and with the most diverse livelihood strategies were the least vulnerable (Cattlemen-Cocoa Farmers and Livestock-Cocoa Farmers). While it is necessary to maintain a balance between capitals in the process of adapting to climate variability in rural households, at the community level it is essential to strengthen political capital, which will make it possible to construct and reinforce strategies for adapting to climate variability.
•Climate variability negatively affects all households with agricultural and livestock livelihoods in southern Colombia.•Balance capital endowments and livelihood diversification are key to adaptive capacity to climate variability.•Investment in cultural and political capital enables rural households' adaptive capacity to climate variability.•Climate actions by institutions be prioritized according to the livelihood strategies of rural households.
The current intensification in agricultural pressure has resulted in the addition of excessive amounts of nutrients. While hydroponic systems have become an agricultural tool to reduce this nutrient ...addition, the produced nutrient-rich drainage solution, which has a negative effect in water bodies, is still a barrier that needs to be overcome. A promising alternative for nutrient recovery is the cultivation of microalgae, which require a significant quantity of nutrients for their growth. Furthermore, their biostimulant properties enhance the circularity and sustainability approach. This study evaluates microalgae growth with a hydroponic drainage solution and the use of the resulting biomass as a source for biostimulant. Three microalgae strains were tested (Desmodesmus sp., Chlorella vulgaris, and Scenedesmus obliquus) and grown at laboratory scale (0.5 and 2 L) with drainage wastewater taken from hydroponic tomato crops. Measures of OD750 and OD680 revealed Desmodesmus sp. as the strain with the best performance, achieving 1.4 and 1.8, respectively, in the 0.5 L assay and 1.08 and 1.3 in the 2 L assay. These results were confirmed in another assay that compared Desmodesmus sp. growth in drainage wastewater and in control media. Then, Desmodesmus sp. was tested at industrial scale. Results show the columnar PBR reached 1.8 g·L−1 compared to 1.1 g·L−1 achieved with raceways. Finally, the resulting biomass was tested in a biocatalysis process for biostimulant production, suggesting an innovative system to use microalgae biomass cultured in wastewater as a valuable product such as biostimulant.
Flow cytometry is a laser-based technology that rapidly detects and analyzes the chemical and physical characteristics of single cells or particles and is already well established in environmental ...and toxicological studies for microalgae and bacterial quantification. This study introduces an imaging Flow Cytometer (FC) system, designed specifically for the enhanced analysis of microalgae biomass populations and aggregate groups through Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration. The FC incorporates a single flow line, critical hardware components, and a trifurcated software setup. The system employs a multi-step process for counting algae units and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for classifying them in groups of two or four. To demonstrate its capabilities, the system was tested on its ability to capture, count, and categorize algal units, specifically the Desmodesmus sp. morphotype with high accuracy. Furthermore, the FC's capabilities were contrasted with traditional counting methods, validating its enhanced precision and efficiency against a hematocytometer. With its capability to provide rapid, accurate, and high-throughput analyses, this innovative FC paves the way for a revolutionary approach to cellular research.
The LUME-Lung 1 study has brought consistent evidence of the effective use of nintedanib in lung adenocarcinoma as a second line of treatment; however, differences among ethnicities have been found ...in some studies.
This was a retrospective review among 21 medical centers of 150 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, included in a compassionate use program of nintedanib from March 2014 to September 2015. The current study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of nintedanib in combination with docetaxel in the Mexican population, using progression-free survival rate and the best objective response to treatment by RECIST 1.1 as a surrogate of effectiveness. In addition, we examined the toxicity profile of our study population as a secondary end point.
After exclusion criteria, only 99 patients met the criteria for enrollment in the current study. From the total study population, 53 patients (53.5%) were male and 46 (46.5%) were female, with an average age of 60 years and stage IV as the most prevalent clinical stage at the beginning of the compassionate use program. A total of 48 patients (48.5%) had partial response; 26 (26.3%), stable disease; 4 (4%), complete response; and 16 (16.2%), progression; and 5 (5%) were nonevaluable. We found a median progression-free survival of 5 months (95% CI, 4.3 to 5.7 months). The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions were fatigue (14%) and diarrhea (13%).
Nintedanib, as part of a chemotherapy regimen, is an effective option with an acceptable toxicity profile for advanced lung adenocarcinoma after first-line treatment progression.
In recent decades, the worldwide production of microalgae has been carried out on an industrial scale. In recent years, the market for natural products has grown because of changes in consumer ...preferences for more natural products. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the hepatoprotective capacity of fucoxanthin extract obtained from an industrial culture of the microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Culture Collection of Alga and Protists in Scotland). The microalga was grown in an artificial and natural seawater mixture (1:9), using Walne’s culture medium in columns and raceway photobioreactors (RWP) inside a greenhouse. The carotenoid content in the tested systems continued to increase from day 5 of the culture, when the stationary phase was reached. The final biomass powder contained 4.9 mg (2.59%) of pure fucoxanthin. The possible hepatoprotective activity of fucoxanthin was then studied in the HepG2 cell line for 24 h in culture, and compared with the cytotoxicity of methotrexate (MTX). In conclusion, the active ingredient showed hepatoprotective activity against MTX in the human hepatocyte cell line HEPG-2 at a concentration of 0.25 mg/mL. The current results also suggest that it has beneficial properties for liver health and is a suitable ingredient for all types of nutraceutical products.
Derived from their great capacity of adaptation, microalgae have several industrial applications, including pigment production for nutraceutical sector. However, the scarcity of studies on the ...diversity and life histories from several environments, highlight the need for more research on new species and habitats. Based on this, the present study assessed the microalgal diversity in water bodies of a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill in Asturias (Spain). A total of 14 strains were successfully isolated and scaled up in liquid monocultures. They were identified through a combination of morphologic features with molecular assignation by DNA barcoding via the 18S and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 genes. The results of the genetic procedures (BLAST assignments and the 18S and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 genealogies) showed that 10 of the 14 assayed isolates were identified at the species level. The available genetic data were not sufficient for species classifications of the remaining isolates. It is possible that some might be new species not previously studied or described. Indeed, a new species, Coelastrella cogersae, was proposed in this study. Moreover, 3 of the 14 isolates (including the newly proposed species) exhibited caretogenic activity under specific conditions during the culture. These results are a great step forward in both the screening of lesser-known environments and the discovery of new sources of bioactive compounds. The study could be of great value to the nutraceutical industries and markets.
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•The microalgal diversity within the water bodies of a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill was investigated.•Fourteen (14) mono-cultures strains were identified and isolated through the use of morphological and genetic tools.•Coelastrella cogersae was proposed as a new species based on both morphological and molecular results.•Three strains exhibited caretogenic activity, observed by the colour change under nutrient deprivation.
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