Antiviral and Cytotoxic Activities of Polysaccharides Extracted from Four Tropical Seaweed Species

Abstract

Polysaccharides extracted from Rhodymenia pseudopalmata, Solieria filiformis, Hydropuntia cornea (Rhodophyta) and Sargassum fluitans (Phaeophyceae) were evaluated for its cytotoxic and antiviral activities against Herpes simplex virus (HSV-Type 1). Chemical structures were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and 13 C-NMR analyses. Polysaccharides from Sargassum fluitans (EC 50 = 42.8 μg/ml) and Solieria filiformis (EC 50 = 136.0 μg/ml) showed antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus type-I in vitro at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.01 ID 50 /cells without cytotoxicity (1-200 μg/mL). The activity observed suggests that sulphation, molecular weight and carbohydrate nature of these polysaccharides may be involved in this activity. To better understand the antiviral activity of the polysaccharides evaluated, it seems important to study the mechanism of action involved. These polysaccharides could be studied further to evaluate their potential use as antiviral drugs.

Environmentally Friendly Valorization of Solieria filiformis (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta) from IMTA Using a Biorefinery Concept

“…In general, dry weight and carbohydrate content were similar to those reported for other Solieria species [7,21]. S. filiformis from IMTA showed higher dry weight values than biomass from the control, corroborating the higher growth rate found in the IMTA system.…”

“…S. filiformis from IMTA showed higher dry weight values than biomass from the control, corroborating the higher growth rate found in the IMTA system. Total protein content was lower than previously reported for this species (15–20%) [21,30,31], while the lipid content was higher to other reports [31], and slightly higher from the IMTA biomass when compared to the control unit. In relation to the sulfate content, Morán-Santibañez et al [20] found significant lower sulfate content (7.5 ± 0.5%) than those reported in the present study.…”

“…Other typical signals of G4S at 63.69, 71.43 and 74.38 ppm attributed to carbon C6, C2 and C4 were observed. Peaks at 72.12, 74.37 and 79.3 ppm of DA2S attributed to C2, C4 and C5 were also detected [8,21,22,52]. Characteristic signals of anomeric carbons for other polysaccharides or for the μ- and ν-precursors were not detected, indicating the presence of a fairly pure ι-carrageenan.…”

“…For the antiviral assay, three replicates were infected using 50 μL of medium and a virus suspension at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.001 ID 50 cells. After incubation, antiviral activity was evaluated by the neutral red dye method [21,64]. The antiherpetic compound acyclovir [9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl) guanine] was used as reference inhibitor.…”

“…Solieria filiformis (Kützing) Gabrielson has been reported as a source of relatively pure ι-type carrageenan, although a high number of different structural elements, including both ι- and κ-carrageenans, can be found depending on the biomass. Bioprospecting activities and previous biochemical studies revealed that this species also contains several valuable bioactive compounds [19,20,21,22]. In the light of the abovementioned results and in the need of environmentally friendly valorization of algae biomass, the aim of this study was to assess the potential of Solieria filiformis produced in an IMTA system to obtain three valuable products (a water- soluble extract, fatty acids and carrageenan) through a biorefinery approach using EAE and MAE as eco-friendly extraction technologies.…”