# Distribution and Level of Bioactive Monoacylglycerols in 12 Marine Microalgal Species

## TL;DR

This study identifies microalgal species rich in bioactive monoacylglycerols, which could be used for cancer treatments, nutraceuticals, and bioenergy.

## Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive analysis of monoacylglycerol distribution and levels in 12 marine microalgal species.

## Key findings

- Monoacylglycerol profiles show significant inter- and intraspecific variability among microalgal species.
- Skeletonema marinoi (strain FE7) is identified as a top candidate for MAG-based biotechnological applications.
- The study includes a qualitative and quantitative analysis of lipid classes and fatty acids in the selected species.

## Abstract

Microalgae are currently considered an attractive source of highly valuable metabolites potentially exploitable as anticancer agents, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals and for bioenergy purposes. Their ease of culturing and their high growth rates further promote their use as raw material for the production of specialty products. In the present paper, we focused our attention on specific glycerol-based lipid compounds, monoacylglycerols (MAGs), which displayed in our previous studies a selective cytotoxic activity against the haematological U-937 and the colon HCT-116 cancer cell lines. Here, we performed a quali/quantitative analysis of MAGs and total fatty acids (FAs) along with a profiling of the main lipid classes in a panel of 12 microalgal species, including diatoms and dinoflagellates. Our results highlight an inter- and intraspecific variability of MAG profile in the selected strains. Among them, Skeletonema marinoi (strain FE7) has emerged as the most promising source for possible biotechnological production of MAGs.