Polar Lipids of Marine Microalgae <i>Nannochloropsis oceanica </i>and <i>Chlorococcum amblystomatis</i> Mitigate the LPS-Induced Pro-Inflammatory Response in Macrophages
Tiago Conde,
Bruno Neves,
Daniela Couto,
Tânia Melo,
Diana Lopes,
Rita Pais,
Joana Batista,
Helena Cardoso,
Joana Laranjeira Silva,
Pedro Domingues,
M. Rosário Domingues
Affiliations
Tiago Conde
Mass Spectrometry Centre, LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Santiago University Campus, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Bruno Neves
Department of Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedicine—iBiMED, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Daniela Couto
Mass Spectrometry Centre, LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Santiago University Campus, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Tânia Melo
Mass Spectrometry Centre, LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Santiago University Campus, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Diana Lopes
CESAM—Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Santiago University Campus, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Rita Pais
Mass Spectrometry Centre, LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Santiago University Campus, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Joana Batista
Mass Spectrometry Centre, LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Santiago University Campus, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Helena Cardoso
R&D Department, Allmicroalgae—Natural Products S.A., Rua 25 de Abril s/n, 2445-413 Pataias, Portugal
Joana Laranjeira Silva
R&D Department, Allmicroalgae—Natural Products S.A., Rua 25 de Abril s/n, 2445-413 Pataias, Portugal
Pedro Domingues
CESAM—Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Santiago University Campus, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
M. Rosário Domingues
Mass Spectrometry Centre, LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Santiago University Campus, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Microalgae are recognized as a relevant source of bioactive compounds. Among these bioactive products, lipids, mainly glycolipids, have been shown to present immunomodulatory properties with the potential to mitigate chronic inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of polar lipids isolated from Nannochloropsis oceanica and Chlorococcum amblystomatis. Three fractions enriched in (1) digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) and sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG), (2) monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), and (3) diacylglyceryl-trimethylhomoserine (DGTS) and phospholipids (PL) were obtained from the total lipid extracts (TE) of N. oceanica and C. amblystomatis, and their anti-inflammatory effect was assessed by analyzing their capacity to counteract nitric oxide (NO) production and transcription of pro-inflammatory genes Nos2, Ptgs2, Tnfa, and Il1b in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophages. For both microalgae, TE and Fractions 1 and 3 strongly inhibited NO production, although to different extents. A strong reduction in the LPS-induced transcription of Nos2, Ptgs2, Tnfa, and Il1b was observed for N. oceanica and C. amblystomatis lipids. The most active fractions were the DGTS-and-PL-enriched fraction from N. oceanica and the DGDG-and-SQDG-enriched fraction from C. amblystomatis. Our results reveal that microalgae lipids have strong anti-inflammatory capacity and may be explored as functional ingredients or nutraceuticals, offering a natural solution to tackle chronic inflammation-associated diseases.
