Frontiers on algae bioactive compounds

EDITORIAL

Frontiers on algae bioactive compounds

Eliane Marinho-Soriano^I; Ernani Pinto^II; Nair S. Yokoya^III; Pio Colepicolo^IV; Valeria Laneuville Teixeira^V; Yocie Yoneshigue-Valentin^VI

^IDepartamento de Oceanografia e Limnologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

^IIDepartamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

^IIINúcleo de Pesquisa em Ficologia, Instituto de Botânica, Brazil

^IVDepartamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

^VInstituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil

^VIInstituto de Biologia, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Brazil possesses an enormous aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity that is intimately linked with the rich socio-cultural heritage of the country. In the marine environment, algae are one of the largest groups in terms of diversity. Of the total of 32,000 known species, at least 820 taxa have been identified along the Brazilian coast. In order to survive in the highly competitive aquatic environment, both freshwater and marine algae have developed defense strategies that rely on a tremendous diversity of compounds produced by several different metabolic pathways. This makes algae particularly promising as the source of novel biochemically-active compounds, in addition to compounds essential for human nutrition. Four major areas of research in aquatic natural products have developed since 1975: toxins, bioproducts, chemotaxonomy and chemical ecology. Spurred by the advent of sophisticated spectral techniques for structural characterization, the chemical structures of over 13,000 novel compounds isolated from algae have been determined in the last 35 years.

Macroalgae occur globally and, because they are at the base of the food chain, serve as the source of nutrients for a wide range of aquatic organisms. They are the main nitrate and CO₂ consumers and release vast quantities of molecular oxygen into the atmosphere via photosynthesis. They also provide shelter and protection for small fish and other aquatic organisms. Consequently, algae play a vital role in the maintenance of the marine equilibrium, in the preservation of biodiversity and in mitigating global warming. In many countries, food industries employ a wide range of algal derivatives that contain high contents of fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids, polysaccharides, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. Algae and algal products also have an economic impact in several other sectors such as in the aquaculture of fish and shrimp, in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, biomedicine, veterinary medicine, cosmetic industries and in public health. Due to growing economic importance of algae, there is an increasing need for improved techniques of isolation of algae extracts, fractions or pure compounds and for novel strategies for bioprospection and for rapid screening of extracts and fractions for bioactivities. In addition, the macroalgae have enormous potential for the development of biotechnology and, as such, constitute an important strategic natural resource for the country. Because the expanding market for algal-based products brings with it the risk of over-harvesting of natural populations, further improvements in the controlled cultivation, harvesting and conservation of algae will be necessary to permit the sustainable, large-scale production of algae and algal-derived products while avoiding further harm to the marine environment.

This special issue of the RBF congregates selected peer-reviewed papers that are based on lectures presented by their authors at the "II Workshop on New Bioactive Compounds from Macroalgae: Management and Cultivation, Conservation, Biotechnology and Bioactivity Evaluation". This 3-day event, held in Ilhabela, SP, Brazil, brought together 150 researchers from academics and industry. This special issue thus provides a panorama of the current research efforts in Brazil in the areas of mariculture and propagation of algae and of bioprospection for potentially useful bioactive metabolites from algae.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  13 June 2011
• Date of issue
  Apr 2011