A new method for removing microflora from macroalgal surfaces: an important step for natural product discovery
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Betty Kientz
Abstract
Numerous marine organisms, including macroalgae, produce bioactive compounds. As chemical extraction processes do not distinguish between compounds originating from the alga and its associated microflora, a key step immediately prior to isolation of molecules, is elimination of epibionts from the alga studied. In chemical, ecological and biotechnological contexts, a clear identification of the source organism, when symbiotic interactions occurs, is crucial. We aimed to improve understanding of specific secondary metabolite production by macroalgae through development of a metho-dology for removing microbial epibionts immediately prior to chemical extraction without damaging algal cell surfaces (to avoid extraction of endogenous macroalgal compounds at this stage). Various solutions were tested: non-polar solvents (dichloromethane and hexane), alcohols (methanol, ethanol and isopropanol), oxidants (sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide and iodine) and a natural product (tea tree oil) at various concentrations and contact times. Five macroalgal species were employed: Chondrus crispus, Fucus serratus, Palmaria palmata, Saccharina latissima and Ulva lactuca. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate the surface integrity. The best epibiont removal rate without damaging tissue was obtained with mixtures of ethanol (40–50%) and sodium hypochlorite (1%). Interestingly, macroalgal moisture content influenced treatment efficacy.
©2011 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
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Articles in the same Issue
- Research Article
- Iron released from ilmenite mineral sustains a phytoplankton community in microcosms
- Physiological responses of Hizikia fusiformis to copper and cadmium exposure
- Nitrate uptake and duration of internal nitrogen reserves in the kelp Eisenia arborea
- Characterization and expression patterns of two 70-kDa heat shock protein genes in the intertidal red alga Porphyra yezoensis
- A new method for removing microflora from macroalgal surfaces: an important step for natural product discovery
- Application of response surface methodology to study the influence of hydrothermal processing on phytochemical constituents of the Irish edible brown seaweed Himanthalia elongata
- A multigene phylogenetic assessment of the Dilsea/Neodilsea species complex (Dumontiaceae, Gigartinales) supports transfer of Neodilsea natashae to the genus Dilsea
- First record of the Indo-Pacific seaweed Codium arabicum Kütz. (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea
- Decadal-scale changes in the shallow subtidal benthos of an Irish marine reserve
