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Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids promotes effective immune system response
Posted On: February 24, 2013Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids promotes effective immune system response and has ameliorating effects on chronic inflammation (a condition caused by an imbalanced immune system that can lead to multiple serious illnesses over time), according to the most recent study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health) on the effects of omega-3. It is for this reason that omega-3, in addition to playing a crucial role in human growth and brain development, may be highly useful in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers, psoriasis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and migraine.
The polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6 cannot be synthesized by the body and must therefore be taken in as nutrition. Paradoxically, however, an excess of omega 6 may actually result in greater inflammation. This is why a healthy diet needs to achieve a proper balance between omega-3 and omega-6. Such is not currently the case in most American diets, which typically provide 14 to 25 times more omega 6 fatty acids than omega-3.
Fish bones’ second life
Posted On: January 15, 2013A new project is exploring means of turning fish waste into value-added products such as neutraceuticals while attempting to make fisheries a greener industry in developing countries.
Only about 50% of every fish sold as fillet is actually eaten. Often, fish heads, viscera, skin and bones are discarded. In this context, the SECUREFISH project, funded by the EU, aims at reducing the post-harvest waste in the fisheries sector while improving the overall environmental friendliness of fish processing in developing countries. “We use the waste products that include fish skin and bones and process the proteins through hydrolysis into bioactive peptides,” explains project co-ordinator Nazlin Howell, Professor of Food Biochemistry, University of Surrey, Guilford, UK.
Scientists have discovered that some of the bioactive peptides isolated from fish waste exhibit an activity akin to that of a class of blood pressure lowering drugs called ACE inhibitors. Others also exhibit antioxidant properties and might reduce reactive oxygen species in cells. Such activity could have implications for cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention. Howell tells youris.com “[these] could be put into [food] products such as yoghurt and milk drinks” due to their potential health benefits.
Solarvest BioEnergy Inc. Acquires Algae Production Facility
Posted On: January 15, 2013Solarvest has made significant progress in its plans to use its patented algal technology to develop commercial products focused on health care. The Company recently completed negotiations to acquire a 30,000 sq. ft. facility in Summerville Prince Edward Island which will be repurposed to house the Company’s planned algal production. Solarvest has acquired the facility on a lease to own basis for $436,000 with an 8-year term, the previous owner had invested in excess of $2.2 million in developing the facility.
Marine biotechnology advances towards applications in new functional foods
Posted On: November 19, 2012The marine ecosystem is still an untapped reservoir of biologically active compounds, which have considerable potential to supply food ingredients towards development of new functional foods. With the goal of increasing the availability and chemical diversity of functional marine ingredients, much research has been developed using biotechnological tools to discover and produce new compounds.
This review summarizes the advances in biotechnological tools for production of functional ingredients, including enzymes, for the food industry. Tools involving biotechnological processes (bioreactors, fermentations, bioprocessing) and those involving genetic research designated as molecular biotechnology are discussed highlighting how they can be used in the controlled manipulation and utilization of marine organisms as sources of food ingredients, as well as discussing the most relevant shortcomings towards applications in new functional foods.
Marine Bioproducts AS testing viability of marine peptones for high-value products via fermentation
Posted On: October 14, 2012The commercial viability of the use of marine-derived peptones to produce high-value products via fermentation will be examined through a project led by the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) and Norway-based Marine Bioproducts AS(MB).
Referred to as MarineIB, the project began in April 2012 and seeks to establish new supply chains for the production of high-value chemicals, thereby offering a cost-effective, bio-based solution with improved performance in the marketplace.
The process employs co-products of fishing and aquaculture — the peptones used in the study are produced from sustainable marine aquaculture as a co-product from the Norwegian salmon processing sector. MB peptone is manufactured via an enzymatic hydrolysis method, which is a cleaner, more efficient alternative to acid hydrolysis.
Scanbio Marine Group To Acquire Tank og Masse-Transport And Haugland Sjotransport
Posted On: October 14, 2012Scanbio Marine Group AS (“Scanbio”), a leading producer of fish protein concentrate, fish meal and fish oil from fresh and fresh preserved fish by-products, recently announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Tank og Masse-Transport AS (“TMT”) and Haugland Sjotransport AS (“HS”), two independently owned and operated Norwegian companies that collect, store and transport fish by-product from aquaculture fisheries and fish processing facilities in Norway. The transactions, which are subject to customary closing conditions, are expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2012. Financial terms were not disclosed.
TMT collects, stores and transports category-2 (“K2″) and category-3 (“K3″) fish by-product from aquaculture fisheries and fish processing facilities in Norway. HS owns two state-of-the-art vessels, the Haugfjord and Haugbas, which are leased to TMT. The two vessels are expected to complement Scanbio’s current fleet.
TMT and HS are majority owned by Ole and Kenneth Haugland , who will continue to work with Scanbio after the closing of the transactions.
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Special drink containing omega-3 may enhance memory of early Alzheimer patients
Posted On: July 25, 2012A new study suggests that people with early Alzheimer’s disease can be benefited by a drink containing some special nutrients.
Online edition of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease contained this report, published on 10 July.
Alzheimer patients lose memory as the disease progresses due to the deteriorating connectivity among brain cells. Souvenaid, drink with special nutrients, can improvise this connection, said Dr. Richard Wurtman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist.
Sovenaid contains three ingredients, choline, uridine and omega-3 fatty acids. Choline is B vitamin and can be found in meats, nuts and eggs. Fishes, eggs, flaxseed and meat of grass fed animals have omega-3 fatty acids. Uridine can also be gained from some food as part of RNA and it helps in making protein in the body.
These nutrients with some other essential proteins are required to make cell membranes that form synapses(connections between brain cells).
But according to William Thies, vice president for medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer’s Association, Souvenaid requires more research before it could go public and even then consumers need to be cautious.
Researchers Discover Potential Explanation For Why Diets High in Marine DHA Can Improve Memory
Posted On: July 8, 2012We’ve all heard that eating fish is good for our brains and memory. But what is it about DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, that makes our memory sharper?
Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a possible explanation. Their findings have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
Principal investigator Yves Sauvé and his team discovered that lab models fed a high-DHA diet had 30 per cent higher levels of DHA in the memory section of the brain, known as the hippocampus, than lab models on a regular, healthy diet.
“We wanted to find out how fish intake improves memory,” says Sauvé, a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry who works in the departments of physiology and ophthalmology, and in the Centre for Neuroscience.
“What we discovered is that memory cells in the hippocampus could communicate better with each other and better relay messages when DHA levels in that region of the brain were higher. This could explain why memory improves on a high-DHA diet.”
Sauvé noted a key finding was that when a diet is supplemented with DHA, additional stores of the omega-3 fatty acid are deposited in the brain. His team confirmed this finding, a discovery other labs have noted as well.
Norway’s MareLife issues summer newsletter summarizing recent marine biotech-related activities and projects
Posted On: July 8, 2012Marelife, the independent science-based marine innovation network, has reinforced its staff and put in operation R&D projects initiated by experienced working groups covering key areas in marine innovation. Read their new summer newsletter which sums up the Marelife activities Winter and Spring 2012.
Mar. Drugs, Volume 10, Issue 6 (June 2012), Pages Pages 1192-1421 Now Available
Posted On: June 26, 2012MDPI is pleased to announce the availability of the following:
Mar. Drugs, Volume 10, Issue 6 (June 2012), Pages Pages 1192-1421
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/
Table of Contents:
Sheila Marie Pimentel-Elardo, Lubomir Grozdanov, Sebastian Proksch and Ute Hentschel
Article: Diversity of Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Genes in the Microbial Metagenomes of Marine Sponges
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1192-1202; doi:10.3390/md10061192
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1192/
Shwu-Li Wu, Jui-Hsin Su, Chiung-Yao Huang, Chi-Jen Tai, Ping-Jyun Sung, Chih-Chung Liaw and Jyh-Horng Sheu
Article: Simplexins P–S, Eunicellin-Based Diterpenes from the Soft Coral Klyxum simplex
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1203-1211; doi:10.3390/md10061203
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1203/
Sergey A. Dyshlovoy, Sergey N. Fedorov, Anatoly I. Kalinovsky, Larisa K. Shubina, Carsten Bokemeyer, Valentin A. Stonik and Friedemann Honecker
Article: Mycalamide A Shows Cytotoxic Properties and Prevents EGF-Induced Neoplastic Transformation through Inhibition of Nuclear Factors
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1212-1224; doi:10.3390/md10061212
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1212/
Laura R. Hunt, Stephanie M. Smith, Kelsey R. Downum and Laura D. Mydlarz
Article: Microbial Regulation in Gorgonian Corals
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1225-1243; doi:10.3390/md10061225
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1225/
Magbubah Essack, Vladimir B. Bajic and John A. C. Archer
Review: Conotoxins that Confer Therapeutic Possibilities
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1244-1265; doi:10.3390/md10061244
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1244/
Shi-Ming Fang, Cheng-Bin Cui, Chang-Wei Li, Chang-Jing Wu, Zhi-Jun Zhang, Li Li, Xiao-Jun Huang and Wen-Cai Ye
Article: Purpurogemutantin and Purpurogemutantidin, New Drimenyl Cyclohexenone Derivatives Produced by a Mutant Obtained by Diethyl Sulfate Mutagenesis of a Marine-Derived Penicillium purpurogenum G59
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1266-1287; doi:10.3390/md10061266
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1266/
Shang-Kwei Wang, Shyh-Yueh Puu and Chang-Yih Duh
Article: New 19-Oxygenated Steroids from the Soft Coral Nephthea chabrolii
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1288-1296; doi:10.3390/md10061288
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1288/
Fuhang Song, Biao Ren, Ke Yu, Caixia Chen, Hui Guo, Na Yang, Hong Gao, Xueting Liu, Mei Liu, Yaojun Tong, Huanqin Dai, Hua Bai, Jidong Wang and Lixin Zhang
Article: Quinazolin-4-one Coupled with Pyrrolidin-2-iminium Alkaloids from Marine-Derived FungusPenicillium aurantiogriseum
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1297-1306; doi:10.3390/md10061297
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1297/
Xi-Lin Lu, Zhong-Liang Xu, Xiao-Li Yao, Feng-Juan Su, Cheng-Hui Ye, Jing Li, Yong-Cheng Lin, Guang-Lei Wang, Jin-Sheng Zeng, Ru-Xun Huang, Jing-Song Ou, Hong-Shuo Sun, Li-Ping Wang, Ji-Yan Pang and Zhong Pei
Article: Marine Cyclotripeptide X-13 Promotes Angiogenesis in Zebrafish and Human Endothelial Cells via PI3K/Akt/eNOS Signaling Pathways
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1307-1320; doi:10.3390/md10061307
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1307/
Jiun-Yang Chang, Chia-Ching Liaw, Ahmed Eid Fazary, Tsong-Long Hwang and Ya-Ching Shen
Article: New Briarane Diterpenoids from the Gorgonian Coral Junceella juncea
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1321-1330; doi:10.3390/md10061321
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1321/
Haiyan Shi, Shanjiang Yu, Dong Liu, Leen van Ofwegen, Peter Proksch and Wenhan Lin
Article: Sinularones A–I, New Cyclopentenone and Butenolide Derivatives from a Marine Soft Coral Sinulariasp. and Their Antifouling Activity
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1331-1344; doi:10.3390/md10061331
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1331/
Ying Zhao, Huan Chen, Zhuo Shang, Binghua Jiao, Bin Yuan, Weizhang Sun, Bingui Wang, Mingyong Miao and Caiguo Huang
Article: SD118-Xanthocillin X (1), a Novel Marine Agent Extracted from Penicillium commune, Induces Autophagy through the Inhibition of the MEK/ERK Pathway
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1345-1359; doi:10.3390/md10061345
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1345/
Thierry Jauffrais, Jane Kilcoyne, Véronique Séchet, Christine Herrenknecht, Philippe Truquet, Fabienne Hervé, Jean Baptiste Bérard, Cíara Nulty, Sarah Taylor, Urban Tillmann, Christopher O. Miles and Philipp Hess
Article: Production and Isolation of Azaspiracid-1 and -2 from Azadinium spinosum Culture in Pilot Scale Photobioreactors
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1360-1382; doi:10.3390/md10061360
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1360/
Roberta Teta, Gerardo Della Sala, Barbara Renga, Alfonso Mangoni, Stefano Fiorucci and Valeria Costantino
Article: Chalinulasterol, a Chlorinated Steroid Disulfate from the Caribbean Sponge Chalinula molitba. Evaluation of Its Role as PXR Receptor Modulator
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1383-1390; doi:10.3390/md10061383
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1383/
Takashi Maoka, Harukuni Tokuda, Nobutaka Suzuki, Hideaki Kato and Hideo Etoh
Article: Anti-Oxidative, Anti-Tumor-Promoting, and Anti-Carcinogensis Activities of Nitroastaxanthin and Nitrolutein, the Reaction Products of Astaxanthin and Lutein with Peroxynitrite
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1391-1399; doi:10.3390/md10061391
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1391/
Anette C. Elde, Ragnhild Pettersen, Per Bruheim, Johanna Järnegren and Geir Johnsen
Article: Pigmentation and Spectral Absorbance Signatures in Deep-Water Corals from the Trondheimsfjord, Norway
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1400-1411; doi:10.3390/md10061400
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1400/
Banpeng Cao, Haixin Ding, Ruchun Yang, Xiaoji Wang and Qiang Xiao
Communication: Total Synthesis of a Marine Alkaloid—Rigidin E
Mar. Drugs 2012, 10(6), 1412-1421; doi:10.3390/md10061412
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/10/6/1412/
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