In vitro antioxidative activities of extract and semi-purified fractions of the marine red alga, Rhodomela confervoides (Rhodomelaceae)

The methanol-chloroform extract of the marine red alga, Rhodomela confervoides, was measured for antioxidant activity, using the alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging assay and the beta-carotene-linoleate bleaching assay systems, and compared with those of the positive Controls of butylated hydroxytoluene, gallic acid and ascorbic acid, The active extract was further purified by liquid-liquid partition to afford four fractions, of which the ethyl acetate-soluble (EA) fraction exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity in both assay systems. This fraction was further divided into seven subfractions, designated as EA1-EA7, by silica gel vacuum liquid chromatography. in most cases, EA1 and EM Were found to possess the strongest activity. The total phenolic contents and reducing powers of the extract, fractions, and subfractions were also determined. Significant associations between the antioxidant potency and the total phenolic content, as well as between the antioxidant potency and the reducing power, were found for the tested fractions and subfractions. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Algal biotechnology industries and research activities in China

In old China there were very few people engaged in the study of the algae, but in new China, freshwater and marine algae are studied by over one hundred old and new phycologists. There is now an algal biotechnology industry consisting of an aquaculture industry, producing large amounts of the seaweeds Laminaria, Porphyra, Undaria, Gracilaria, eucheumoids, and the microalgae Dunaliella and Spirulina. There is also a phycocolloid industry, producing algin, agar and carrageenan; an industry producing chemicals and drugs, such as iodine, mannitol, phycocyanin, beta -carotene, PSS (propylene glycol alginate sulfate) and FPS (fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides) and an industry producing food, feed and fertilizer. The Laminaria cultivation industry produces about 900,000 t dry Laminaria, probably the largest producer in the world and 13,000 t algin, undoubtedly one of the largest algin producer in the world.

Optimization of conditions for tetraspore release and assessment of photosynthetic activities for different generation branches of Gracilaria lemaneiformis Bory

Gracilaria lemaneiformis Bory is an economically important alga that is primarily used for agar production. Although tetraspores are ideal seeds for the cultivation of G. lemaneiformis, the most popular culture method is currently based on vegetative fragments, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. In this study, we optimized the conditions for tetraspore release and evaluated the photosynthetic activities of different colonies formed from the branches of G. lemaneiformis using a PAM (pulse-amplitude-modulated) measuring system. The results showed that variations in temperature and salinityhad significant effects on tetraspore yield. However, variations in the photon flux density (from 15 mu mol m(-2) s(-1) to 480 mu mol m(-2) s(-1)) had no apparent effect on tetraspore yield. Moreover, the PAM-parameters Y(I), Y(II), ETR(I), ETR(II) and F (v)/F (m) of colonies formed from different branches showed the same trend: parameter values of first generation branches > second generation branches > third generation branches. These results suggest that the photosynthetic activities of different colonies of branches changed with the same trend. Furthermore, photosynthesis in G. lemaneiformis was found to be involved in vegetative reproduction and tetraspore formation. Finally, the first generation branches grew slowly, but accumulated organic compounds to form large numbers of tetraspores. Taken together, these results showed that the first generation branches are ideal materials for the release of tetraspores.

Nutrients in the Changjiang River

N, P and SiO3-Si in the Changjiang mainstream and its major tributaries and lakes were investigated in the dry season from November to December, 1997, and in the flood season in August and October, 1998. An even distribution of SiO3-Si was found along the Changjiang River. However, the concentrations of total nitrogen, total dissolved nitrogen, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, nitrate and total phosphorus, total particulate phosphorus increased notably in the upper reaches, which reflected an increasing impact from human activities. Those concentrations in the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang River were relatively constant. Dissolved N was the major form of N and the particulate P was the major form of P in the Changjiang River. The molar ratio of dissolved N to dissolved P was extremely high (192.5-317.5), while that of the particulate form was low (5.6-37.7). High N/P ratio reflected a significant input of anthropogenic N such as N from precipitation and N lost from water and soil etc. Dissolved N and P was in a quasi-equilibrium state in the process from precipitate to the river. In the turbid river water, light limitation, rather than P limitation, seemed more likely to be a controlling factor for the growth of phytoplankton. A positive linear correlationship between the concentration of dissolved N and the river's runoff was found, mainly in the upper reaches, which was related to the non-point sources of N. Over the past decades, N concentration has greatly increased, but the change of P concentration was not as significant as N. The nutrient fluxes of the Changjiang mainstream and tributaries were estimated, and the result showed that the nutrient fluxes were mainly controlled by the runoff, of which more than a half came from the tributaries. These investigations carried out before water storage of the Three Gorges Dam will supply a scientific base for studying the influences of the Three Gorges Dam on the ecology and environment of the Changjiang River and its estuary.

Causes and consequences of changes in nutrient structure in the Jiaozhou Bay

Concentrations and ratios of nutrients in Jiaozhou Bay, China, have changed much in the past decades, with trends indicating an increase in nitrogen and a decrease in silicate. Statistical analysis has shown that the long-term variations of nutrients are associated with agricultural activities, precipitation, and anthropogenic factors. Stoichiometric calculations indicate that the nutrient structure has become more and more unbalanced. There has been almost no possibility for nitrogen limitation since the 1980s, the probability of P limitation has increased, and the probability of Si limitation has also increased markedly from the 1980s to the 1990s. As a consequence of changes in nutrient structure, a decrease in the abundance of net phytoplankton was evident, whereas total chlorophyll a levels have remained roughly unchanged at around 3.55 mu g/L. Thus, it is likely that smaller species have taken the niche vacated by the larger species. Changes in phytoplankton size and species composition may ultimately lead to various functional and structural changes at the system level.

Simple, mild and convenient synthesis of two novel N-dichloroacetyl oxazolidines and their biological activities

Two N-dichloroacetyl oxazolidines were synthesized with a simple, mild and convenient method. All the compounds were characterized by IR, (HNMR)-H-1 and elemental analysis. The preliminary biological test showed that the compounds protected maize against injury by some herbicides to some extent.

Study on impact of dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense on life activities of marine bivalves

The effects of a PSP producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense on marine bivalves at their several important life,stages: egg, D - shape larva, eyespot larva, juvenile and adult, were studied! The results show that the hitching survival, activity, filtration and! growth were adversely affected by the alga and the impact was significantly increased with the increase of algal density. The inhibitory effect on egg hatching was most significant, which the hatching rate was only 30% of the control when exposed to the alga at 100 cell/cm(3) after 36 h. Further experiments show that the algal culture, re-suspended cells and cell fragments had the inhibitory effect, while no such effect was from the cell-free medium, cell contents and standard STX. The results indicate that the alga could produce unknown toxins, rather than PSP, associated with the cell surface.

Summer feeding activities of zooplankton in Prydz Bay, Antarctica

Grazing of dominant zooplankton copepods (Calanoides acutus. and Metridia gerlachei), salps (Salpa thompsoni) and microzooplankton was determined during the austral summer of 1998/1999 at the seasonal ice zone of the Prydz Bay region. The objective was to measure the ingestion rates of zooplankton at the seasonal ice zone, so as to evaluate the importance of different groups of zooplankton in their grazing impact on phytoplankton standing stock and primary production. Grazing by copepods was low, and accounted for less than or equal to 1% of phytoplankton standing stocks and 3.8-12.5% of primary production for both species during this study, even the ingestion rates of individuals were at a high level compared with previous reports. S. thompsoni exhibited a relatively high grazing impact on primary production (72%) in the north of our investigation area. The highest grazing impact on phytoplankton was exerted by microzooplankton during this investigation, and accounted for 10-65% of the standing stock of phytoplankton and 34-100% of potential daily primary production. We concluded that microzooplankton was the dominant phytoplankton consumer in this study area. Salps also played an important role in control of phytoplankton where swarming occurred. The grazing of copepods had a relatively small effect on phytoplankton biomass development.

Feeding activities of zooplankton in the Bohai Sea

The Bohai Sea was the site of the Chinese national GLOBEC programme. During the June 1997 cruises of R/V Science No.1, observations and experiments on zooplankton feeding were conducted. At five 48 h time-series stations the following observations and measurements on zooplankton were carried out: (1) diurnal vertical migration, by collecting samples at different layers every 3 h with a closing net; (2) diurnal feeding rhythms, by gut pigment analysis; and (3) ingestion rate, by both gut pigment analysis and the dilution method. A classification by body size was used to deal with the diversity of species and developmental stages of zooplankton assemblages. Samples were separated into three size groups: small (200-500 mu m), medium (500-1000 mu m) and large (> 1000 mu m). The results showed that the copepods (Calanus sinicus, Paracalanus parvus, Acartia bifilosa and Centropages mcmurrichi) performed clear diurnal vertical migrations. However, their behaviour was different at different stations. The variation in gut pigment content over the 24 h cycle showed strong diurnal feeding rhythms, particularly for the large size group. Gut pigment contents reached their daily maximum during the time from dusk to midnight (18:00-24:00). The peak value was about 10 times the minimum observed in the daytime. The in situ daily grazing rate, based on gut pigment contents and evacuation experiments, was 4.00-12.65 ng chla ind(-1) day(-1) for the small size group, 5.99-66.58 ng chla ind(-1) day(-1) for the medium size group and 31.31-237.13 ng chla ind(-1) day(-1) for the large size group. The copepods consumed only a small part (2.90-13.52%) of the phytoplankton biomass hut about 77% of the daily production. The grazing mortality rate of phytoplankton by microzooplankton (<200 mu m) measured by the dilution method ranged from 0.43 to 0.69 day(-1) The calculated daily consumption of phytoplankton biomass was 35-50%, and 85-319% of the potential production.

Sources and distribution of aliphatic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, China

The composition and distribution of aliphatic (n-alkanes) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured for the surface sediments collected at 25 sites from Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, China. Total n-alkanes and PAH concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 8.2 mu g/gdw and 0.02 to 2.2 mu g/gdw, respectively, and the distribution of both n-alkanes and PAHs showed large spatial variations in the bay. The distribution of PAHs in the sediments was predominated by the three or more ring compounds. High hydrocarbon levels were generally found in the areas associated with high anthropogenic impact and port activities in the bay. The calculated hydrocarbon indexes suggest that petroleum contamination was the main source of n-alkanes, while both pyrolytic and petrogenic sources contributed PAHs to the surface sediments of Jiaozhou Bay. In comparison to other polluted coastal sediments, the level of contamination from both aliphatic hydrocarbons and PAHs in Jiaozhou Bay sediments is relatively low at the present time. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geochemieal records of phosphorus in Jiaozhou Bay sediments - Implications for environmental changes in recent hundred years

Phosphorus is a key element and plays an important role in global biogeochemical cycles. The evolution of sedimentary environment is also influenced by phosphorus concentrations and fractions as well as phosphate sorption characteristics of the marine sediments. The geochemical characteristics of phosphorus and their environmental records were presented in Jiaozhou Bay sediments. Profiles of different forms of phosphorus were measured as well as the roles and vertical distributions of phosphorus forms in response to sedimentary environment changes were investigated. The results showed that inorganic phosphorus ( IP) was the major fraction of total phosphorus ( TP); phosphorus which is bound to calcium, iron and occluded phosphorus, as well as the exchangeable phosphorus were the main forms of IP, especially calcium-phosphorus, including detrital carbonate-bound phosphorus ( Det - P) and authigenic apatite-bound phosphorus ( ACa - P), are the uppermost constituent of IP in Jiaozhou Bay sediments. Moreover, the lead-210 chronology technology was employed to estimate how much phosphorus was buried ultimately in sediments. And the research showed that the impacts of human activities have increased remarkably in recent years especially between the 1980s and 2000. According to research, the development of Jiaozhou Bay environment in the past hundred years can be divided into three stages; (I) before the 1980s characterized by the relatively low sedimentation rate, weak land-derived phosphorus inputs and low anthropogenic impacts; (2) from the 1980s to around 2000, accelerating in the 1990s, during which high sedimentation rates, high phosphorus abundance and burial fluxes due to the severe: human activities impacted on the whole environmental system; (3) after 2000, the period of the improvement of environment, the whole system has been improved including the decreasing sedimentation rates, concentration and the burial fluxes of phosphonas.

In vitro antioxidant activities of acetylated, phosphorylated and benzoylated derivatives of porphyran extracted from Porphyra haitanensis

Porphyran extracted from red algae Porphyra haitanensis is a sulfated polysaccharide, which possesses excellent antioxidant activities. In this study, we prepared the acetylated, phosphorylated and benzoylated derivatives of porphyran. And then the antioxidant activities of all the samples were investigated including scavenging effects of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals and reducing power. The results of chemical analysis and FT-IR spectrum showed the modifications of porphyran were successful. And in addition, we found that certain derivative exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than raw material. And the mechanism of the structure-function relationship of these derivatives needs to be attended to. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparation of the different derivatives of the low-molecular-weight porphyran from Porphyra haitanensis and their antioxidant activities in vitro

Porphyran extracted from Porphyra haitanensis is a sulfated polysaccharide, which possesses excellent antioxidant activities. In this study, we prepared one low-molecular-weight porphyran and its sulfated, acetylated, phosphorylated and benzoylated derivatives. Their antioxidant activities were investigated including scavenging effect of superoxide, hydroxyl and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals. The results of chemical analysis and FT-IR spectrums showed the modification was successful. And in addition, we found that certain derivative exhibited stronger antioxidant activity than low-molecular-weight porphyran. The benzoylated derivative showed the most excellent antioxidant activity in three assays, so this derivative needs to be attended to. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relevance of molecular weight of chitosan and its derivatives and their antioxidant activities in vitro

The antioxidant potency of different molecular weight (DMW) chitosan and sulfated chitosan derivatives was investigated employing various established in vitro systems, such as superoxide (O-2(.-))/hydroxyl ((OH)-O-.) radicals scavenging, reducing power, iron ion chelating. As expected, we obtained several satisfying results, as follows: Firstly, low molecular weight chitosan had stronger scavenging effect on O-2(.-) and (OH)-O-. than high molecular weight chitosan. For example the O-2(.-) scavenging activity of low molecular weight chitosan (9 kDa) and high molecular weight chitosan (760 kDa) were 85.86 % and 35.50 % at 1.6 mg/mL, respectively. Secondly, comparing with DMW chitosan, DMW sulfated chitosans had the stronger inhibition effect on 0(2)(.-). At 0.05 mg/mL, the scavenging activity on O-2(.-) reached 86.26 %, for low molecular weight chitosan sulfate (9 kDa), but that of low molecular weight chitosan (9 kDa) was 85.86 % at 1.6 mg/mL. As concerning chitosan and sulfated chitosan of the same molecular weight, scavenging activities of sulfated chitosan on superoxide and hydroxyl radicals were more pronounced than that of chitosan. Thirdly, low molecular weight chitosan sulfate had more effective scavenging activity on 02 and (OH)-O-. than that of high molecular weight chitosan sulfate. Fourthly, DMW chitosans and sulfated chitosans were efficient in the reducing power, especially LCTS. Their orders were found to be LCTS > CTS4 > HCTS > CTS3 > CTS2 > CTS1 > CTS. Fifthly, CTS4 showed more considerable ferrous ion-chelating potency than others. Finally, the scavenging rate and reducing power of DMW chitosan and sulfated derivatives increased with their increasing concentration. Moreover, change of DMW sulfated chitosans was the most pronounced within the experimental concentration. However, chelating effect of DMW chitosans were not concentration dependent except for CTS4 and CTS1. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Screening marine algae from China for their antitumor activities

Thirty-nine species of marine algae collected from the coast of China were screened for their antitumor activities, and eight species Leathesia difformes, Polysiphonia urcedata, Scytosiphon lomentarius, Gloiopeliis furcata, Punctaria latifolia, Symphyocladia latiuscula, Rhodomela confervoides and Ulva pertusa showed potent cytotoxic activities. Three, Rhodomela confervoides, Scytosiphon lomentarius and Gloiopeliis furcata, were used for further investigation. More than 30 compounds were isolated and purified, and 14 bromophenols, 1 steroid and 1 carotene were identified by advanced spectroscopic methods including IR, MS, and NMR techniques. Amongst the 16 identified compounds, 7 showed vigorously selective activities against KB, Bel7402 and A549 cancer cells, and 6 bromophenols were new compounds.