Chemical diversity and antifouling activity of geniculate calcareous algae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from Brazil

Ellen A de S Oliveira; Juliana de A S Oliveira; Priscila R Araújo; Frederico T S Tâmega; Ricardo Coutinho; Angelica R Soares

doi:10.7717/peerj.15731

Chemical diversity and antifouling activity of geniculate calcareous algae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from Brazil

PeerJ. 2023 Aug 14:11:e15731. doi: 10.7717/peerj.15731. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ellen A de S Oliveira^{1

2

3}, Juliana de A S Oliveira^{3

4}, Priscila R Araújo^{1

2}, Frederico T S Tâmega^{1

2}, Ricardo Coutinho^{1

2}, Angelica R Soares^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia Marinha, IEAPM/ Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
² Departamento de Biotecnologia Marinha, Instituto de Estudos do Mar Almirante Paulo Moreira, Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
³ Grupo de Produtos Naturais de Organismos Aquáticos, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (NUPEM), Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Environmental Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG), Dübendorf, Switzerland.

Abstract

Marine biofouling is a natural process by which many organisms colonize and grow in submerged structures, causing serious economic consequences for the maritime industry. Geniculate calcareous algae (GCA; Corallinales, Rhodophyta) produce bioactive secondary metabolites and are a promise for new antifouling compounds. Here, we investigated the antifouling activity of four GCA species-Amphiroa beauvoisii, Jania sagittata (formerly Cheilosporum sagittatum), Jania crassa, and Jania prolifera (formerly Amphiroa flabellata)-from the Brazilian coast against macro- and microorganisms. Simultaneously, metabolomic tools were applied to assess the chemical profiles of these seaweeds using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Data analysis by principal component and molecular networking analyses used the global natural products social molecular networking platform (GNPS). Our results showed that all extracts were active against different strains of marine bacteria and that the J. sagittata (JsSI) extract showed the highest percentage of bacterial inhibition. The J. sagittata (JsSI) extract was the most active against the mussel Perna perna, showing 100% byssus inhibition. Regarding toxicity, only the J. crassa (JcP) extract showed a 20% mortality rate. The chemical profiles of the evaluated GCA extracts differed qualitatively and quantitatively. Yet, the steroid (3β)-cholest-5-en-3-ol was the major compound commonly identified in all extracts, with the exception of J. sagittata (JsSI). Moreover, we observed intra- and interspecific chemical variabilities among GCA extracts for the different populations, which could explain their antifouling activity variability. This study contributed new information about the chemical compounds produced by this group of seaweeds and showed its antifouling potential. These GCA species may be the subject of future studies to obtain new bioactive compounds with biotechnological potential in maritime areas.

Keywords: Biofouling; Chemical composition; Crude extract; Geniculate calcareous algae; Metabolomics; Multivariate analysis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Biofouling* / prevention & control
Brazil
Plant Extracts / pharmacology
Rhodophyta*
Seaweed*

Substances

Plant Extracts

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior–Brasil (CAPES) providing a PhD scholarship for Ellen A. de S. Oliveira (Process Number: 88887.634563/2021-00), this study was financed by the CAPES Finance Code 001, Laboratório de Produtos Naturais Aquático (GPNOA)-NUPEM–UFRJ and Laboratório de Recursos Marinhos (LAREMAR)–IEAPM. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.