Mono- and digalactosyldiacylglycerols : potent nitric oxide inhibitors from the marine microalga Nannochloropsis granulata

Chemical investigation of a marine microalga, Nannochloropsis granulata, led to the isolation of four digalactosyldiacylglycerols namely, (2S)-1-O-eicosapentaenoyl-2-O-palmitoyl-3-O-(\u3b2-D-galactopyranosyl-6-1\u3b1-D-galactopyranosyl)-glycerol (1), (2S)-1-O-eicosapentaenoyl-2-O-palmitoleoyl-3-O-(\u3b2-D-galactopyranosyl-6-1\u3b1-D-galactopyranosyl)- glycerol (2), (2S)-1-O-eicosapentaenoyl-2-O-myristoyl-3-O-(\u3b2-D-galactopyranosyl-6-1\u3b1-D-galactopyranosyl)-glycerol (3), and (2S)-1,2-bis-O-eicosapentaenoyl-3-O-(\u3b2-D-galactopyranosyl-6-1\u3b1-D-galactopyranosyl)-glycerol (4), together with their monogalactosyl analogs (5\u20138). Among the isolated galactolipids 2 and 3 were new natural products. Complete stereochemistry of 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8 was determined for the first time by both spectroscopic techniques and classical degradation methods. Both mono- and digalactosyldiacylglycerols isolated from N. granulata poss e s s ed s t rong n i t r i c oxide (NO) inhibi tory a c t ivi ty against lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophage cells through downregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression indicating the possible use as anti-inflammatory agents.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Triacylglycerols and Other Lipids Profiling of Hemp By-Products

Hemp seed by-products, namely hemp cake (hemp meal) and hemp hulls were studied for their lipid content and composition. Total lipid content of hemp cake and hemp hulls was 13.1% and 17.5%, respectively. Oil extraction yields using hexane, on the other hand, were much lower in hemp cake (7.4%) and hemp hulls (12.1%). Oil derived from both hemp seeds and by-products were primarily composed of neutral lipids (>97.1%), mainly triacylglycerols (TAGs), determined by SPE and confirmed by NMR study. Linoleic acid was the major fatty acid present in oils derived from hemp by-products, covering almost 55%, followed by α-linolenic acid, covering around 18% of the total fatty acids. For the first time, 47 intact TAGs were identified in the hemp oils using UPLC-HRMS. Among them, TAGs with fatty acid acyl chain 18:3/18:2/18:2 and 18:3/18:2/18:1 were the major ones, followed by TAGs with fatty acid acyl chain of 18:3/18:3/18:2, 18:2/18:2/16:0, 18:2/18:2/18:1, 18:3/18:2.18:0, 18:2/18:2/18:0, 18:2/18:1/18:1 and 18:3/18:2:16:0. Besides TAGs, low levels of terpenes, carotenoids and cannabidiolic acid were also detected in the oils. Moreover, the oils extracted from hemp by-products possessed a dose-dependent DPPH radical scavenging property and their potencies were in a similar range compared to other vegetable oils

Analysis of Polar Lipids in Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) By-Products by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Polar lipids were extracted from residual biomass of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) by-products with EtOH and partitioned into aqueous and chloroform fractions. The chloroform fractions were studied for their lipid composition using solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by UHPLC/HRMS and NMR analyses. The 1H NMR and gravimetric yield of SPE indicated triacylglycerols covered ≥ 51.3% of the chloroform fraction of hemp seed hulls and hemp cake. UHPLC/HRMS analyses of remaining polar lipids led to the identification of nine diacylglycerols (DAGs), six lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs), five lysophosphatidylethanolamines (LPEs), eight phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), and thirteen phosphatidylcholines (PCs) for the first time from hemp seed hulls. The regiospecificity of fatty acyl substitutes in glycerol backbone of individual phospholipids were assigned by analyzing the diagnostic fragment ions and their intensities. The heat-map analysis suggested that DAG 18:2/18:2, 1-LPC 18:2, 1-LPE 18:2, PE 18:2/18:2, and PC 18:2/18:2 were the predominant molecules within their classes, supported by the fact that linoleic acid was the major fatty acid covering > 41.1% of the total fatty acids determined by GC-FID analysis. The 31P NMR analysis confirmed the identification of phospholipids and suggested PC covers ≥ 37.9% of the total phospholipid present in hemp by-products. HPLC purification led to the isolation of 1,2-dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine and 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoylphosphatidylcholine. These two major PCs further confirmed the UHPLC/HRMS finding

Monogalactosyldiacylglycerols, potent nitric oxide inhibitors from a marine microalga Tetraselmis

Methanolic extracts of some marine and freshwater microalgae were tested for their nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activity on lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Among the tested extracts, Tetraselmis chui extract showed the strongest NO inhibitory activity, thus selected for further study. NO inhibitory activity guided isolation led to identification of two monogalactosyldiacylglycerols (MGDGs) (2S)-1-O-(6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z-octadecatetranoyl)-2-O-(4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z-hexadecatetranoyl)-3-O-\u3b2-D-galactopyranosylglycerol (1) and (2S)-1-O-(9Z,12Z,15Z-octadecatrinoyl)-2-O-(4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z-hexadecatetranoyl)-3-O-\u3b2-D-galactopyranosylglycerol (2) from the MeOH extract of T. chui. The stereo-chemistry of 1 was elucidated by classical degradation method. MGDGs 1 and 2 showed strong NO inhibitory activity compared to NG-methyl-L-arginine acetate salt, a well known NO inhibitor used as a positive control. Isolated MGDGs suppressed NO production through down-regulation of inducible NO synthase protein. A structure activity relationship study suggested that the polyunsaturated fatty acids of the MGDGs are responsible for NO inhibition. Moreover, increasing unsaturation on the fatty acid side chains enhanced the NO inhibitory potency of the MGDGs.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Five new galactolipids from the freshwater microalga Porphyridium aerugineum and their nitric oxide inhibitory activity

Chemical investigation of the freshwater rhodophyte microalga Porphyridium aerugineum led to the isolation of five new galactolipids, namely, (2S)-1-O-eicosapentaenoyl-2-O-arachidonoyl-3-O-\u3b2-d-galactopyranosylglycerol (1), (2S)-1-O-eicosapentaenoyl-2-O-linoleoyl-3-O-\u3b2-d-galactopyranosylglycerol (2), (2S)-1-O-arachidoyl-2-O-palmitoyl-3-O-(\u3b2-d-galactopyranosyl-6-1\u3b1-d-galactopyranosyl)-glycerol (6), (2S)-1-O-eicosapentaenoyl-2-O-arachidoyl-3-O-(\u3b2-d-galactopyranosyl-6-1\u3b1-d-galactopyranosyl)-glycerol (7), and (2S)-1-O-eicosapentaenoyl-2-O-linoleoyl-3-O-(\u3b2-d-galactopyranosyl-6-1\u3b1-d-galactopyranosyl)-glycerol (8) together with five known galactolipids. The stereo-structures of all new galactolipids were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses and both enzymatic and chemical degradation methods. This is the first report of galactolipids from P. aerugineum. The newly isolated galactolipids showed strong and dose-dependent nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activity against lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Both galactolipids 1 and 2 possessed stronger NO inhibitory activity than N G-methyl-l-arginine acetate salt, a well-known NO inhibitor used as a positive control. Further study suggested that these galactolipids inhibit NO production through downregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Nitric oxide inhibitory activity of monogalactosylmonoacylglycerols from a freshwater microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana

Chemical investigation of the freshwater microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana led to the isolation of a new monogalactosylmonoacylglycerol, namely, (2S)-1-O-(7Z,10Z-hexadecadienoyl)-3-O-\u3b2-D-galactopyranosylglycerol (1) together with a known glycolipid (2S)-1-O-(7Z,10Z,13Z-hexadecatrienoyl)-3-O-\u3b2-D-galactopyranosylglycerol (2). Both monogalactosylmonoacylglycerols showed dose-dependent nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activity against lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophage cells suggesting their possible use as anti-inflammatory agents.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

A Cultivated Form of a Red Seaweed (Chondrus crispus), Suppresses β-Amyloid-Induced Paralysis in Caenorhabditis elegans

We report here the protective effects of a methanol extract from a cultivated strain of the red seaweed, Chondrus crispus, against β-amyloid-induced toxicity, in a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans, expressing human Aβ1-42 gene. The methanol extract of C. crispus (CCE), delayed β-amyloid-induced paralysis, whereas the water extract (CCW) was not effective. The CCE treatment did not affect the transcript abundance of amy1; however, Western blot analysis revealed a significant decrease of Aβ species, as compared to untreated worms. The transcript abundance of stress response genes; sod3, hsp16.2 and skn1 increased in CCE-treated worms. Bioassay guided fractionation of the CCE yielded a fraction enriched in monogalactosyl diacylglycerols (MGDG) that significantly delayed the onset of β-amyloid-induced paralysis. Taken together, these results suggested that the cultivated strain of C. crispus, whilst providing dietary nutritional value, may also have significant protective effects against β-amyloid-induced toxicity in C. elegans, partly through reduced β-amyloid species, up-regulation of stress induced genes and reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)