The Zooxanthellate Jellyfish Holobiont Cassiopea andromeda, a Source of Soluble Bioactive Compounds

Abstract

Cassiopea andromeda (Forsskål, 1775), commonly found across the Indo-Pacific Ocean, the Red Sea, and now also in the warmest areas of the Mediterranean Sea, is a scyphozoan jellyfish that hosts autotrophic dinoflagellate symbionts (family Symbiodiniaceae). Besides supplying photosynthates to their host, these microalgae are known to produce bioactive compounds as long-chain unsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, and pigments, including carotenoids, with antioxidant properties and other beneficial biological activities. By the present study, a fractionation method was applied on the hydroalcoholic extract from two main body parts (oral arms and umbrella) of the jellyfish holobiont to obtain an improved biochemical characterization of the obtained fractions from the two body parts. The composition of each fraction (i.e., proteins, phenols, fatty acids, and pigments) as well as the associated antioxidant activity were analyzed. The oral arms proved richer in zooxanthellae and pigments than the umbrella. The applied fractionation method was effective in separating pigments and fatty acids into a lipophilic fraction from proteins and pigment–protein complexes. Therefore, the C. andromeda–dinoflagellate holobiont might be considered as a promising natural source of multiple bioactive compounds produced through mixotrophic metabolism, which are of interest for a wide range of biotechnological applications.

Ballast Water Management in Ports: Monitoring, Early Warning and Response Measures to Prevent Biodiversity Loss and Risks to Human Health

“…Bioprospecting is about the identification and extraction of new bioactive compounds with various potential applications, e.g., in biomedicine, human health, food supply, food supplements, cosmetics and the search for antifouling and antimicrobial agents. Dealing with invasive species can turn a threat into a resource, as shown by the increasing research on invasive species such as the jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda [173] or the seaweed Asparagopsis armata [174]. Research on this seaweed, which has spread to several coasts around the world, has shown that it is an important source of antimicrobial compounds with a broad spectrum of activity.…”

The unpredictability of scyphozoan jellyfish blooms

“…In eutrophication processes, jellyfish have been linked to the maintenance of water quality through top-down control of the food web (Peŕez-Ruzafa et al, 2002;Fernańdez-Alıás et al, 2022;, and their use as food has led to the emergence of a fishing and aquaculture industry focused on these organisms (Hsieh et al, 2001;Omori and Nakano, 2001;Purcell et al, 2007;Nishikawa et al, 2015;Khong et al, 2016;Leone et al, 2019). In addition, jellyfish are being studied in search of biomolecules with potential applications in pharmacology and medicine (Zimmer, 2005;Sugahara et al, 2006;De Rinaldis et al, 2021;De Domenico et al, 2023;Sudirman et al, 2023), and as the most energetically efficient swimmers, jellyfish biomechanics are a subject of study in the development of remotely operated swimming vehicles (Gemmell et al, 2013;Gemmell et al, 2015;Costello et al, 2021;Gemmell et al, 2021).…”