The lipidome of the red seaweed Gracilaria sp., cultivated on land-based integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) system, was assessed for the first time using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC–MS and MS/MS). One hundred and forty-seven molecular species were identified in the lipidome of the Gracilaria genus and distributed between the glycolipids classes monogalactosyl diacylglyceride (MGDG), digalactosyl diacylglyceride (DGDG), sulfoquinovosyl monoacylglyceride (SQMG), sulfoquinovosyl diacylglyceride (SQDG), the phospholipids phosphatidylcholine (PC), lyso-PC, phosphatidylglycerol (PG), lyso-PG, phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatic acid (PA), inositolphosphoceramide (IPC), and betaine lipids monoacylglyceryl- and diacylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethyl homoserine (MGTS and DGTS). Antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects promoted by lipid extract of Gracilaria sp. were evaluated by monitoring cell viability in human cancer lines and by using murine macrophages, respectively. The lipid extract decreased cell viability of human T-47D breast cancer cells and of 5637 human bladder cancer cells (estimated half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 12.2 μg/mL and 12.9 μg/mL, respectively) and inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) evoked by the Toll-like receptor 4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 (35% inhibition at a concentration of 100 μg/mL). These findings contribute to increase the ranking in the value-chain of Gracilaria sp. biomass cultivated under controlled conditions on IMTA systems.

31Ulva species, green macroalgae, are widely distributed in the water across the globe, 32 being one of the most heavily-traded edible seaweeds. Nonetheless, although this genus 33 has been largely used in scientific studies, its lipidome remains rather unexplored. The 34 present study sheds light over the lipid profile of Ulva rigida produced in a land-based 35 integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system using liquid chromatography 36 coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry for molecular lipid species identification. 37The lipidome of U. rigida revealed the presence of distinct beneficial n-3 fatty acids for 38 human health, namely alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA). A 39 total of 87 molecular species of glycolipids, 58 molecular species of betaine lipids and 57 40 molecular species of phospholipids were identified in the lipidome of U. rigida including 41 some species bearing PUFA and with described bioactive properties. Overall, the present 42 study contributes to the valorization and quality validation of sustainably farmed U. 43 rigida. 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 Edible macroalgae are a good source of beneficial compounds for human health that 53 display distinct functional properties that stimulate interest to number of high-value 54 chains (e.g., medical, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical) (Holdt and Kraan 2011; Leal et al. 55 2013; Abreu et al. 2014; Rajauria 2015; Roohinejad et al. 2016). Ulva spp. have long 56 been listed in FAO as one of the main macroalgae for commercial use (Naylor 1976). 57 These popular green seaweeds can be used fresh, dried, or in liquid extracts, either for 58 direct or processed consumption worldwide (McHugh 2003; Barriga et al. 2017). 59 Popularly known in the human food market as sea lettuce, Ulva spp. belongs to class 60 Ulvophyceae and can be found in marine and brackish waters, being widely distributed 61 across the globe. Ulva species are well adapted to aquaculture production and can be 62 successfully cultured by using an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) 63 framework (Bolton et al. 2008; Msuya and Neori 2008; Marinho et al. 2013; Shpigel et 64 al. 2017). This innovative and sustainable culture approach mimics the natural ecosystem 65 of species from different trophic levels, associating the production of fed species (e.g. 66 finfish) with other extractive organisms, namely marine invertebrates and/or algae, that 67 incorporate organic and inorganic compounds resulting from the metabolism of fed 68 species, as well as from uneaten feed. Overall, IMTA promotes a balanced production 69 framework that is environmentally sustainable and viable from an economic point of view 70 (Barrington et al. 2009; Chopin et al. 2012). The culture of seaweeds under an IMTA 71 approach allows the removal of excess nutrients, namely phosphorus and nitrogen, from 72 wastewater (Neori 2009; Lawton et al. 2013), while enhancing quality and stability of 73 seaweeds biomass and their biochemical profile (Abreu et al. 2014). 74Ulva species are con...

In recent years, noteworthy research has been performed around lipids from microalgae. Among lipids, glycolipids (GLs) are quite abundant in microalgae and are considered an important source of fatty acids (FAs). GLs are rich in 16- and 18-carbon saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and often contain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like n-3 α-linolenic (ALA 18:3), eicosapentaenoic (EPA, 20:5) and docosahexaenoic (DHA, 22:6). GLs comprise three major classes: monogalactosyldiacyl glycerolipids (MGDGs), digalactosyl diacylglycerolipids (DGDGs) and sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerolipids (SQDGs), whose composition in FA directly depends on the growth conditions. Some of these lipids are high value-added compounds with antitumoral, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities and also with important nutritional significance. To fully explore GLs’ bioactive properties it is necessary to fully characterize their structure and to understand the relation between the structure and their biological properties, which can be addressed using modern mass spectrometry (MS)-based lipidomic approaches. This review will focus on the up-to-date FA composition of GLs identified by MS-based lipidomics and their potential as phytochemicals.

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Fucus vesiculosus is an edible brown macroalga, with health benefits associated with its consumption and also a source of bioactive molecules. It is acknowledged that the biochemical composition of macroalgae changes when exposed to different environmental conditions occurring on different habitats, such as the water temperature, and light intensity. In the present study, the polar lipidome of Fucus vesiculosus was characterized for the first time using modern high-resolution HILIC–MS, and MS/MS approaches, to evaluate the phenotypic variability in two seasons of the year, e.g., winter and spring. A total of 187 molecular species were identified over eighteen classes of glycolipids, phospholipids and betaine lipids. Principal component analysis (PCA) multivariate statistical analysis and cluster analysis of polar lipid classes, polar lipid species and total fatty acids (FA) datasets, showed clustering according to the seasonal groups. While the lipid profile of Fucus vesiculosus harvested in the winter and spring yielded the same molecular species, the relative abundance of these species was significantly different. In the winter, changes were mainly due to the increased relative abundance of some molecular species of glycolipids and phospholipids, bearing octadeca(poly)enoic (18:3, 18:4) and eicosa(poly)enoic (20:4, 20:5) FA and betaine lipids species with short saturated FA (14:0) and polyunsaturated FA (PUFA). Importantly, glycolipids with n-3 PUFA and sulfolipids, have been reported to have important biological activities and therapeutic value. Overall, Fucus vesiculosus is a promising source of bioactive compounds that can be used as functional food or ingredients for human nutrition, feed, pharma, and cosmetic formulations. In this study, samples harvested in the winter season maximized yields of these bioactive components, when compared with samples harvested in the spring.

No abstract

Porphyra dioica is a commercial seaweed consumed all over the world, mostly in the shape of nori sheets used for “sushi” preparation. It is a well-known part of the Asian diet with health benefits, which have been associated, among others, to the high levels of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in this red alga. However, other highly valued lipids of Porphyra are polar lipids that remain largely undescribed and can have both nutritional value and bioactivity, thus could contribute to the valorization of this seaweed. In this context, the present work aims to identify the lipidome of two life cycle stages of the Atlantic species Porphyra dioica: the early life stage conchocelis produced in an indoor-nursery, and young blades produced outdoors using an integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) framework. Both the blades (gametophyte) and conchocelis (sporophyte) are commercialized in the food and cosmetics sectors. Liquid chromatography coupled to Q–Exactive high resolution-mass spectrometry (MS) platform was used to gain insight into the lipidome of these species. Our results allowed the identification of 110 and 100 lipid molecular species in the lipidome of the blade and conchocelis, respectively. These lipid molecular species were distributed as follows (blade/conchocelis): 14/15 glycolipids (GLs), 93/79 phospholipids (PLs), and 3/6 betaine lipids. Both life stages displayed a similar profile of GLs and comprised 20:4(n-6) and 20:5(n-3) fatty acids that contribute to n-3 and n-6 fatty acid pool recorded and rank among the molecular species with higher potential bioactivity. PLs’ profile was different between the two life stages surveyed, mainly due to the number and relative abundance of molecular species. This finding suggests that differences between both life stages were more likely related with shifts in the lipids of extraplastidial membranes rather than in plastidial membranes. PLs contained n-6 and n-3 precursors and in both life stages of Porphyra dioica the n-6/n-3 ratio recorded was less than 2, highlighting the potential benefits of using these life stages in human diet to prevent chronic diseases. Atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes of blades (0.85 and 0.49, respectively) and conchocelis (0.34 and 0.30, respectively) are much lower than those reported for other Rhodophyta, which highlights their potential application as food or as functional ingredients. Overall, MS-based platforms represent a powerful tool to characterize lipid metabolism and target lipids along different life stages of algal species displaying complex life cycles (such as Porphyra dioica), contributing to their biotechnological application.

Obesity is a public health problem and a risk factor for pathologies such type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Given these clinical implications, there is a growing interest to understand the pathophysiological mechanism of obesity. Changes in lipid metabolism have been associated with obesity and obesity-related complications. However, changes in the lipid profile of obese children have been overlooked. In the present work, we analyzed the serum phospholipidome of overweight and obese children by HILIC-MS/MS and GC-MS. Using this approach, we have identified 165 lipid species belonging to the classes PC, PE, PS, PG, PI, LPC, and SM. The phospholipidome of overweight (OW) and obese (OB) children was significantly different from normal-weight children (control). Main differences were observed in the PI class that was less abundant in OW and OB children and some PS, PE, SM, and PC lipid species are upregulated in obese and overweight children. Although further studies are needed to clarify some association between phospholipid alterations and metabolic changes, our results highlight the alteration that occurs in the serum phospholipid profile in obesity in children.