Screening of Microalgae for Bioactivity with Antiviral, Antibacterial, Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cancer Assays

TL;DR

This study screens marine microalgae for bioactive compounds with potential antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.

Contribution

The study provides new data on the bioactivity of diverse microalgae strains, highlighting their potential for biomedicine.

Findings

Most microalgae strains showed antibacterial activity, while antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities were observed in a few.

Significant variation in bioactivity was found among species, particularly within dinoflagellates.

The study identifies promising strains for further compound characterization and application exploration.

Abstract

Numerous biotechnological applications exist that have been obtained from marine organisms. Nonetheless, despite their diversity and potential for massive growth, marine microalgae have been less studied than other groups. The aim of the present study was to add new information about microalgae to the existing research that shows the bioactivity of marine microalgae in diverse assays conducted by our research group. First, we selected representative species from different algal groups available in our laboratory and then their biomass was harvested to perform several bioactivity tests. Several strains yielded positive results for antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities. These findings act as an essential indicator for future work targeting the structural characterization of the compounds responsible and their potential application in biomedicine.

Marine microalgae are a rich reservoir of natural compounds, including bioactives. Nonetheless, these organisms remain fairly unexplored despite their potential biotechnological applications. Culture collections with diverse taxonomic groups and lifestyles are a good source to unlock this potential and discover new molecules for multiple applications such as the treatment of human pathologies or the production of aquaculture species. In the present work extracts from thirty-three strains (including twenty dinoflagellates, four diatoms and nine strains from seven other algal classes), cultivated under identical conditions, were examined for their antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. Among these, antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities were detected in a few strains while the antibacterial tests showed positive results in most assays. In turn, most trials did not show any anti-cancer activity. Significant differences were observed between species within the same class, in particular dinoflagellates, which were better represented in this study. These preliminary findings pave the way for an in-depth characterization of the extracts with highest signals in each test, the identification of the compounds responsible for the biological activities found and a further screening of the CCVIEO culture collection.

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