Abstract
Seaweed from the genus Ulva (Ulvales, Chlorophyta) has a worldwide distribution and represents a potential biomass source for biotechnological applications. In the present study, we investigated the ulvan polysaccharide-rich fraction (UPRF) isolated from two Ulva species (U. rigida and U. pseudorotundata), naturally occurring on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Chemical characterization of UPRFs was performed in order to explore the polysaccharides’ composition. Biological assessments of UPRFs were compared by antioxidant activity and in vitro toxicity tests in the human cell lines: HCT-116 (colon cancer), G-361 (malignant melanoma), U-937 (leukemia), and HaCaT cells (immortalized keratinocytes). Chemical analysis revealed that both UPRFs presented rhamnose as the major relative sugar constituent, followed by glucose in U. rigida and xylose in U. pseudorotundata. Both also presented glucuronic acid, galactose, ribose, and mannose as the remaining monosaccharides. Similar antioxidant activity was obtained, where we observed increased activity in response to increased polysaccharide concentrations. Both UPRFs presented moderate toxicity against HCT-116 cell lines and a selectivity index ≥ 3, suggesting a good potential for use in pharmaceutical products.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We sincerely thank the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) and the University of Malaga (UMA), especially the faculty members and technical staff of the Laboratory of Phycology (LAFIC—UFSC), Laboratory of Fotobiología y Biotecnología de Organismos acuáticos (FYBOA—UMA), and Grice Hutchinson research center (UMA). We also thank Dr. Luis Alemany and Dr. María de los Ángeles Vargas (Chemical Engineering Department, UMA) for their technical assistance in the FT-IR analysis and D. Augusto Martínez García, Technical Manager of the Chemical Analysis and Material Characterization Area: Elemental and Thermal Analysis Unit of the SCAI (Central Research Support Service) of the University of Malaga, for the technical assistance in the elemental analysis of the samples. The authors would like to acknowledge Ellie Bergstrom for the manuscript revision. This study is part of the first author’s Doctoral thesis within the UFSC Graduate Program in Biotechnology and Bioscience, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Funding
Financial resources and scholarships were provided by Andalusia Government (Spain) in the frame of the Projects FACCO—UMA18-FEDER JA-162 and NAZCA (P20-00458), Santa Catarina State Foundation for Research and Innovation Support (FAPESC) (Research Grant: n° 12/2020 – 2021TR000671; Scholarship: n° 03/2017, Brazil), and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES/PRINT process n° 88887.470102/2019–00, Brazil). We also thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for financial support through research grant (n° 305367/2019- 6). P.Castro-Varela, thanks to Asociación Iberoamericana de Postgrado (AUIP) and Malaga University for PhD Scholarship.
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Thaís F. Massocato dedicated to experimental design, algal cultivation, polysaccharide extraction, statistical analysis, data interpretation, and original draft. Víctor Robles-Carnero was responsible for algal cultivation and biomass provision. Bruna R. Moreira was responsible for cell viability assays and data interpretation. Pablo Castro-Varela was responsible for cell viability assays and polysaccharide chemical assessment. José Bonomi-Barufi reviewed and edited the manuscript text. Roberto Abdala-Díaz supervised the polysaccharide extraction procedure, chemical assessment, and cell viability assays. Leonardo R. Rörig and Félix L. Figueroa reviewed and edited the manuscript text, supervised and provided funding acquisition. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Fávero Massocato, T., Robles-Carnero, V., Rodrigues Moreira, B. et al. Characterization and Biological Activities of the Ulvan Polysaccharide-Rich Fraction Obtained from Ulva rigida and Ulva pseudorotundata and Their Potential for Pharmaceutical Application. Mar Biotechnol 26, 324–337 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-024-10299-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-024-10299-8