Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 44 in total

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  1. Pyle JA, Warwick NJ, Harris NR, Abas MR, Archibald AT, Ashfold MJ, et al.
    Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 2011 Nov 27;366(1582):3210-24.
    PMID: 22006963 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0060
    We present results from the OP3 campaign in Sabah during 2008 that allow us to study the impact of local emission changes over Borneo on atmospheric composition at the regional and wider scale. OP3 constituent data provide an important constraint on model performance. Treatment of boundary layer processes is highlighted as an important area of model uncertainty. Model studies of land-use change confirm earlier work, indicating that further changes to intensive oil palm agriculture in South East Asia, and the tropics in general, could have important impacts on air quality, with the biggest factor being the concomitant changes in NO(x) emissions. With the model scenarios used here, local increases in ozone of around 50 per cent could occur. We also report measurements of short-lived brominated compounds around Sabah suggesting that oceanic (and, especially, coastal) emission sources dominate locally. The concentration of bromine in short-lived halocarbons measured at the surface during OP3 amounted to about 7 ppt, setting an upper limit on the amount of these species that can reach the lower stratosphere.
  2. Yow YY, Goh TK, Nyiew KY, Lim LW, Phang SM, Lim SH, et al.
    Cells, 2021 08 25;10(9).
    PMID: 34571842 DOI: 10.3390/cells10092194
    Despite the progressive advances, current standards of treatments for peripheral nerve injury do not guarantee complete recovery. Thus, alternative therapeutic interventions should be considered. Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are widely explored for their therapeutic value, but their potential use in peripheral nerve regeneration is underappreciated. The present systematic review, designed according to guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols, aims to present and discuss the current literature on the neuroregenerative potential of CAMs, focusing on plants or herbs, mushrooms, decoctions, and their respective natural products. The available literature on CAMs associated with peripheral nerve regeneration published up to 2020 were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. According to current literature, the neuroregenerative potential of Achyranthes bidentata, Astragalus membranaceus, Curcuma longa, Panax ginseng, and Hericium erinaceus are the most widely studied. Various CAMs enhanced proliferation and migration of Schwann cells in vitro, primarily through activation of MAPK pathway and FGF-2 signaling, respectively. Animal studies demonstrated the ability of CAMs to promote peripheral nerve regeneration and functional recovery, which are partially associated with modulations of neurotrophic factors, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and anti-apoptotic signaling. This systematic review provides evidence for the potential use of CAMs in the management of peripheral nerve injury.
  3. Ng PK, Lin SM, Lim PE, Hurtado AQ, Phang SM, Yow YY, et al.
    PLoS One, 2017;12(7):e0182176.
    PMID: 28759629 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182176
    Many studies classifying Gracilaria species for the exploitation of agarophytes and the development of the agar industry were conducted before the prevalence of molecular tools, resulting in the description of many species based solely on their morphology. Gracilaria firma and G. changii are among the commercially important agarophytes from the western Pacific; both feature branches with basal constrictions that taper toward acute apices. In this study, we contrasted the morpho-anatomical circumscriptions of the two traditionally described species with molecular data from samples that included representatives of G. changii collected from its type locality. Concerted molecular analyses using the rbcL and cox1 gene sequences, coupled with morphological observations of the collections from the western Pacific, revealed no inherent differences to support the treatment of the two entities as distinct taxa. We propose merging G. changii (a later synonym) into G. firma and recognize G. firma based on thallus branches with abrupt basal constrictions that gradually taper toward acute (or sometimes broken) apices, cystocarps consisting of small gonimoblast cells and inconspicuous multinucleate tubular nutritive cells issuing from gonimoblasts extending into the inner pericarp at the cystocarp floor, as well as deep spermatangial conceptacles of the verrucosa-type. The validation of specimens under different names as a single genetic species is useful to allow communication and knowledge transfer among groups from different fields. This study also revealed considerably low number of haplotypes and nucleotide diversity with apparent phylogeographic patterns for G. firma in the region. Populations from the Philippines and Taiwan were divergent from each other as well as from the populations from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. Establishment of baseline data on the genetic diversity of this commercially important agarophyte is relevant in the context of cultivation, as limited genetic diversity may jeopardize the potential for its genetic improvement over time.
  4. Jau MH, Yew SP, Toh PS, Chong AS, Chu WL, Phang SM, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2005 Aug;36(3):144-51.
    PMID: 16005060
    Three strains of Spirulina platensis isolated from different locations showed capability of synthesizing poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] under nitrogen-starved conditions with a maximum accumulation of up to 10 wt.% of the cell dry weight (CDW) under mixotrophic culture conditions. Intracellular degradation (mobilization) of P(3HB) granules by S. platensis was initiated by the restoration of nitrogen source. This mobilization process was affected by both illumination and culture pH. The mobilization of P(3HB) was better under illumination (80% degradation) than in dark conditions (40% degradation) over a period of 4 days. Alkaline conditions (pH 10-11) were optimal for both biosynthesis and mobilization of P(3HB) at which 90% of the accumulated P(3HB) was mobilized. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the mobilization of P(3HB) involved changes in granule quantity and morphology. The P(3HB) granules became irregular in shape and the boundary region was less defined. In contrast to bacteria, in S. platensis the intracellular mobilization of P(3HB) seems to be faster than the biosynthesis process. This is because in cyanobacteria chlorosis delays the P(3HB) accumulation process.
  5. Keng FS, Phang SM, Abd Rahman N, Yeong HY, Malin G, Leedham Elvidge E, et al.
    Phytochemistry, 2021 Oct;190:112869.
    PMID: 34274551 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2021.112869
    Four tropical seaweeds, Gracilaria manilaensis Yamamoto & Trono, Ulva reticulata Forsskål, Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) L.M.Liao and Turbinaria conoides (J.Agardh) Kützing, collected from various habitats throughout Malaysia, were subjected to temperatures of 40, 35, 30, 25 and 20 °C in the laboratory. An exposure range of 21-38 °C is reported for Malaysian waters. The effect of the temperature exposures on the halocarbon emissions of the seaweeds were determined 4 and 28 h after treatment. The emission rates for a suite of six halocarbons commonly emitted by seaweeds, bromoform (CHBr3), dibromomethane (CH2Br2), diiodomethane (CH2I2), iodomethane (CH3I), dibromochloromethane (CHBr2Cl) and dichlorobromomethane (CHBrCl2), were measured using a cryogenic purge-and-trap sample preparation system coupled to a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The emission rate of CHBr3 was the highest of the six halocarbons for all the seaweeds under all the temperatures tested, followed by CH2Br2, and CH2I2. The emission rates were affected by temperature change and exposure duration, but overall responses were unique to each seaweed species. Larger decreases in the emissions of CHBr3, CH2Br2, CH2I2 and CHBr2Cl were found for K. alvarezii and T. conoides after 4 h at 40 °C. In both cases there was a >90% (p 
  6. Choy SY, Prasad KM, Wu TY, Raghunandan ME, Yang B, Phang SM, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jan;24(3):2876-2889.
    PMID: 27838910 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-8024-z
    Fruit wastes constituting up to half of total fruit weight represent a large pool of untapped resources for isolation of starch with diverse applications. In this work, the possibility of isolating starch from tropical fruit wastes and its extended application as a natural coagulant was elucidated. Amongst the 12 various parts of fruit wastes selected, only jackfruit seeds contained more than 50% of total starch content. Using alkaline extraction procedures, starch has been successfully isolated from local jackfruit seeds with a yield of approximately 18%. Bell-shaped starch granules were observed under SEM with a granule size ranging from 1.1 to 41.6 μm. Detailed starch characteristics were performed to provide a comparison between the isolated seed starch and also conventional starches. Among them, chemical properties such as the content of starch, amylose, amylopectin and the corresponding molecular weights are some of the key characteristics which governed their performance as natural coagulants. The potential use of isolated seed starch as an aid was then demonstrated in both suspensions of kaolin (model synthetic system) and Chlorella sp. microalga (real-time application) with plausible outcomes. At optimized starch dosage of 60 mg/L, the overall turbidity removal in kaolin was enhanced by at least 25% at a fixed alum dosage of 2.1 mg/L. Positive turbidity and COD removals were also observed in the treatment of Chlorella suspensions. Starches which served as bridging agents aided in the linkage of neighbouring microflocs and subsequently, forming macroflocs through a secondary coagulation mechanism: adsorption and bridging.
  7. Song SL, Lim PE, Phang SM, Lee WW, Hong DD, Prathep A
    BMC Res Notes, 2014;7:77.
    PMID: 24490797 DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-77
    Gracilaria tenuistipitata is an agarophyte with substantial economic potential because of its high growth rate and tolerance to a wide range of environment factors. This red seaweed is intensively cultured in China for the production of agar and fodder for abalone. Microsatellite markers were developed from the chloroplast genome of G. tenuistipitata var. liui to differentiate G. tenuistipitata obtained from six different localities: four from Peninsular Malaysia, one from Thailand and one from Vietnam. Eighty G. tenuistipitata specimens were analyzed using eight simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer-pairs that we developed for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification.
  8. Draisma SG, van Reine WF, Sauvage T, Belton GS, Gurgel CF, Lim PE, et al.
    J Phycol, 2014 Dec;50(6):1020-34.
    PMID: 26988784 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.12231
    The siphonous green algal family Caulerpaceae includes the monotypic genus Caulerpella and the species-rich genus Caulerpa. A molecular phylogeny was inferred from chloroplast tufA and rbcL DNA sequences analyzed together with a five marker dataset of non-caulerpacean siphonous green algae. Six Caulerpaceae lineages were revealed, but relationships between them remained largely unresolved. A Caulerpella clade representing multiple cryptic species was nested within the genus Caulerpa. Therefore, that genus is subsumed and Caulerpa ambigua Okamura is reinstated. Caulerpa subgenus status is proposed for the six lineages substantiated by morphological characters, viz., three monotypic subgenera Cliftonii, Hedleyi, and Caulerpella, subgenus Araucarioideae exhibiting stolons covered with scale-like appendages, subgenus Charoideae characterized by a verticillate branching mode, and subgenus Caulerpa for a clade regarded as the Caulerpa core clade. The latter subgenus is subdivided in two sections, i.e., Sedoideae for species with pyrenoids and a species-rich section Caulerpa. A single section with the same name is proposed for each of the other five subgenera. In addition, species status is proposed for Caulerpa filicoides var. andamanensis (W.R. Taylor). All Caulerpa species without sequence data were examined (or data were taken from species descriptions) and classified in the new classification scheme. A temporal framework of Caulerpa diversification is provided by calibrating the phylogeny in geological time. The chronogram suggests that Caulerpa diversified into subgenera and sections after the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction and that infra-section species radiation happened after the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction.
  9. Ng PK, Lim PE, Phang SM
    PLoS One, 2014;9(5):e97450.
    PMID: 24820330 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097450
    Congracilaria babae was first reported as a red alga parasitic on the thallus of Gracilaria salicornia based on Japanese materials. It was circumscribed to have deep spermatangial cavities, coloration similar to its host and the absence of rhizoids. We observed a parasitic red alga with morphological and anatomical features suggestive of C. babae on a Hydropuntia species collected from Sabah, East Malaysia. We addressed the taxonomic affinities of the parasite growing on Hydropuntia sp. based on the DNA sequence of molecular markers from the nuclear, mitochondrial and plastid genomes (nuclear ITS region, mitochondrial cox1 gene and plastid rbcL gene). Phylogenetic analyses based on all genetic markers also implied the monophyly of the parasite from Hydropuntia sp. and C. babae, suggesting their conspecificity. The parasite from Hydropuntia sp. has a DNA signature characteristic to C. babae in having plastid rbcL gene sequence identical to G. salicornia. C. babae is likely to have evolved directly from G. salicornia and subsequently radiated onto a secondary host Hydropuntia sp. We also recommend the transfer of C. babae to the genus Gracilaria and propose a new combination, G. babae, based on the anatomical observations and molecular data.
  10. Lim SL, Chu WL, Phang SM
    Bioresour Technol, 2010 Oct;101(19):7314-22.
    PMID: 20547057 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.04.092
    The potential application of Chlorella vulgaris UMACC 001 for bioremediation of textile wastewater (TW) was investigated using four batches of cultures in high rate algae ponds (HRAP) containing textile dye (Supranol Red 3BW) or TW. The biomass attained ranged from 0.17 to 2.26 mg chlorophyll a/L while colour removal ranged from 41.8% to 50.0%. There was also reduction of NH(4)-N (44.4-45.1%), PO(4)-P (33.1-33.3%) and COD (38.3-62.3%) in the TW. Supplementation of the TW with nutrients of Bold's Basal Medium (BBM) increased biomass production but did not improve colour removal or reduction of pollutants. The mechanism of colour removal by C. vulgaris is biosorption, in accordance with both the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The HRAP using C. vulgaris offers a good system for the polishing of TW before final discharge.
  11. Teo SS, Ho CL, Teoh S, Rahim RA, Phang SM
    J Phycol, 2009 Oct;45(5):1093-9.
    PMID: 27032354 DOI: 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2009.00724.x
    Osmotic stress is one of the most significant natural abiotic stresses that occur in the intertidal zones. Seaweeds may physiologically acclimate to changing osmolarity by altering their transcriptome. Here, we investigated the transcriptomic changes of Gracilaria changii (B. M. Xia et I. A. Abbott) I. A. Abbott, J. Zhang et B. M. Xia in response to hyper- and hypoosmotic stresses using a cDNA microarray approach. Microarray analysis revealed that 199 and 200 genes from ∼3,300 genes examined were up- and down-regulated by >2-fold in seaweed samples treated at 50 parts per thousand (ppt) artificial seawater (ASW) compared with those at 30 ppt ASW, respectively. The number of genes that were up- and down-regulated by >2-fold in seaweed samples treated at 10 ppt ASW compared with those at 30 ppt ASW were 154 and 187, respectively. A majority of these genes were only differentially expressed under hyper- or hypoosmotic conditions, whereas 67 transcripts were affected by both stresses. The findings of this study have shed light on the expression profiles of many transcripts during the acclimation of G. changii to hyperosmotic and hypoosmotic conditions. This information may assist in the prioritization of genes to be examined in future studies.
  12. Sharifuddin Y, Chin YX, Lim PE, Phang SM
    Mar Drugs, 2015 Aug;13(8):5447-91.
    PMID: 26308010 DOI: 10.3390/md13085447
    Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders of the endocrine system characterised by hyperglycaemia. Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) constitutes the majority of diabetes cases around the world and are due to unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle, as well as rise of obesity in the population, which warrants the search for new preventive and treatment strategies. Improved comprehension of T2DM pathophysiology provided various new agents and approaches against T2DM including via nutritional and lifestyle interventions. Seaweeds are rich in dietary fibres, unsaturated fatty acids, and polyphenolic compounds. Many of these seaweed compositions have been reported to be beneficial to human health including in managing diabetes. In this review, we discussed the diversity of seaweed composition and bioactive compounds which are potentially useful in preventing or managing T2DM by targeting various pharmacologically relevant routes including inhibition of enzymes such as α-glucosidase, α-amylase, lipase, aldose reductase, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) and dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 (DPP-4). Other mechanisms of action identified, such as anti-inflammatory, induction of hepatic antioxidant enzymes' activities, stimulation of glucose transport and incretin hormones release, as well as β-cell cytoprotection, were also discussed by taking into consideration numerous in vitro, in vivo, and human studies involving seaweed and seaweed-derived agents.
  13. Ahmad R, Chu WL, Ismail Z, Lee HL, Phang SM
    PMID: 15272748
    The effect of ten microalgal chlorophytes isolated from mosquito breeding containers on the survival, larval development and adult body size of the mosquito Aedes aegypti was investigated. All larvae fed with six of the microalgal isolates died after 7 days. These isolates were found to be resistant to digestion by mosquito larvae. Delayed pupation and body size reduction of the mosquitos fed with Chlorococcum UMACC 218 and Scenedesmus UMACC 220 were observed. In contrast, larvae fed with Ankistrodesmus convolutus UMACC 101 and Chlorococcum UMACC 213 were bigger in size than those fed with normal insectory feed. The present study showed that microalgal chlorophytes have the potential to be used as larvicidal agents for mosquitos.
  14. Hessami MJ, Cheng SF, Ambati RR, Yin YH, Phang SM
    3 Biotech, 2019 Jan;9(1):25.
    PMID: 30622863 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-018-1549-8
    In this study, Gelidium elegans is investigated for ethanol production. A combination of factors including different temperatures, acid concentration and incubation time was evaluated to determine the suitable saccharification conditions. The combination of 2.5% (w/v) H2SO4 at 120 °C for 40 min was selected for hydrolysis of the seaweed biomass, followed by purification, and fermentation to yield ethanol. The galactose and glucose were dominant reducing sugars in the G. elegans hydrolysate and under optimum condition of dilute acid hydrolysis, 39.42% of reducing sugars was produced and fermentation resulted in ethanol concentration of 13.27 ± 0.47 g/L. A modified method was evaluated for sample preparation for gas chromatography (GC) analysis of the ethanol content. A solvent mixture of acetonitrile and iso-butanol precipitated dissolved organic residues and reduced water content in GC samples at least by 90%. Results showed that this method could be successfully used for bioethanol production from seaweed.
  15. Ho CL, Teoh S, Teo SS, Rahim RA, Phang SM
    Mar Biotechnol (NY), 2009 Jul-Aug;11(4):513-9.
    PMID: 19043658 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-008-9166-x
    Light regulates photosynthesis, growth and reproduction, yield and properties of phycocolloids, and starch contents in seaweeds. Despite its importance as an environmental cue that regulates many developmental, physiological, and biochemical processes, the network of genes involved during light deprivation are obscure. In this study, we profiled the transcriptome of Gracilaria changii at two different irradiance levels using a cDNA microarray containing more than 3,000 cDNA probes. Microarray analysis revealed that 93 and 105 genes were up- and down-regulated more than 3-fold under light deprivation, respectively. However, only 50% of the transcripts have significant matches to the nonredundant peptide sequences in the database. The transcripts that accumulated under light deprivation include vanadium chloroperoxidase, thioredoxin, ferredoxin component, and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase. Among the genes that were down-regulated under light deprivation were genes encoding light harvesting protein, light harvesting complex I, phycobilisome 7.8 kDa linker polypeptide, low molecular weight early light-inducible protein, and vanadium bromoperoxidase. Our findings also provided important clues to the functions of many unknown sequences that could not be annotated using sequence comparison.
  16. Chen YW, Lee HV, Juan JC, Phang SM
    Carbohydr Polym, 2016 Oct 20;151:1210-1219.
    PMID: 27474672 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.06.083
    Nanocellulose was successfully isolated from Gelidium elegans red algae marine biomass. The red algae fiber was treated in three stages namely alkalization, bleaching treatment and acid hydrolysis treatment. Morphological analysis was performed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM results revealed that the isolated nanocellulose had the average diameter and length of 21.8±11.1nm and of 547.3±23.7nm, respectively. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy proved that the non-cellulosic polysaccharides components were progressively removed during the chemically treatment, and the final derived materials composed of cellulose parent molecular structure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study showed that the crystallinity of yielded product had been improved after each successive treatments subjected to the treated fiber. The prepared nano-dimensional cellulose demonstrated a network-like structure with higher crystallinity (73%) than that of untreated fiber (33%), and possessed of good thermal stability which is suitable for nanocomposite material.
  17. Chu WL, Phang SM
    Mar Drugs, 2016 Dec 07;14(12).
    PMID: 27941599 DOI: 10.3390/md14120222
    Obesity is a major epidemic that poses a worldwide threat to human health, as it is also associated with metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Therapeutic intervention through weight loss drugs, accompanied by diet and exercise, is one of the options for the treatment and management of obesity. However, the only approved anti-obesity drug currently available in the market is orlistat, a synthetic inhibitor of pancreatic lipase. Other anti-obesity drugs are still being evaluated at different stages of clinical trials, while some have been withdrawn due to their severe adverse effects. Thus, there is a need to look for new anti-obesity agents, especially from biological sources. Marine algae, especially seaweeds are a promising source of anti-obesity agents. Four major bioactive compounds from seaweeds which have the potential as anti-obesity agents are fucoxanthin, alginates, fucoidans and phlorotannins. The anti-obesity effects of such compounds are due to several mechanisms, which include the inhibition of lipid absorption and metabolism (e.g., fucoxanthin and fucoidans), effect on satiety feeling (e.g., alginates), and inhibition of adipocyte differentiation (e.g., fucoxanthin). Further studies, especially testing bioactive compounds in long-term human trials are required before any new anti-obesity drugs based on algal products can be developed.
  18. Tan YH, Lim PE, Beardall J, Poong SW, Phang SM
    Aquat Toxicol, 2019 Dec;217:105349.
    PMID: 31734626 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2019.105349
    Ocean acidification, due to increased levels of anthropogenic carbon dioxide, is known to affect the physiology and growth of marine phytoplankton, especially in polar regions. However, the effect of acidification or carbonation on cellular metabolism in polar marine phytoplankton still remains an open question. There is some evidence that small chlorophytes may benefit more than other taxa of phytoplankton. To understand further how green polar picoplankton could acclimate to high oceanic CO2, studies were conducted on an Antarctic Chlorella sp. Chlorella sp. maintained its growth rate (∼0.180 d-1), photosynthetic quantum yield (Fv/Fm = ∼0.69) and chlorophyll a (0.145 fg cell-1) and carotenoid (0.06 fg cell-1) contents under high CO2, while maximum rates of electron transport decreased and non-photochemical quenching increased under elevated CO2. GCMS-based metabolomic analysis reveal that this polar Chlorella strain modulated the levels of metabolites associated with energy, amino acid, fatty acid and carbohydrate production, which could favour its survival in an increasingly acidified ocean.
  19. Palaniveloo K, Ong KH, Satriawan H, Abdul Razak S, Suciati S, Hung HY, et al.
    3 Biotech, 2023 Oct;13(10):337.
    PMID: 37701628 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-023-03725-6
    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes deterioration in intelligence and psychological activities. Yet, till today, no cure is available for AD. The marine environment is an important sink of bioactive compounds with neuroprotective potential with reduced adverse effects. Recently, we collected the red algae Laurencia snackeyi from Terumbu Island, Malaysia which is known to be rich in halogenated metabolites making it the most sought-after red algae for pharmaceutical studies. The red alga was identified based on basic morphological characteristics, microscopic observation and chemical data from literature. The purplish-brown algae was confirmed a new record. In Malaysia, this species is poorly documented in Peninsular Malaysia as compared to its eastern continent Borneo. Thus, this study intended to investigate the diversity of secondary metabolites present in the alga and its cholinesterase inhibiting potential for AD. The extract inhibited both acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) with IC50 values of  14.45 ± 0.34 μg mL-1 and 39.59 ± 0.24 μg mL-1, respectively. Subsequently, we isolated the synderanes, palisadin A (1), aplysistatin (2) and 5-acetoxypalisadin B (3) that was not exhibit potential. Mass spectrometry analysis detected at total of 33 additional metabolites. The computational aided molecular docking using the AChE and BChE receptors on all metabolites shortlisted 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid (31) and 15-hydroxy-1-[2-(hydroxymethyl)-1-piperidinyl]prost-13-ene-1,9-dione (42) with best inhibitory properties, respectively with the lowest optimal combination of S-score and RMSD values. This study shows the unexplored potential of marine natural resources, however, obtaining sufficient biomass for detailed investigation is an uphill task. Regardless, there is a lot of potential for future prospects with a wide range of marine natural resources to study and the incorporation of synthetic chemistry, in vivo studies in experimental design.

    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03725-6.

  20. Tan YH, Poong SW, Yang CH, Lim PE, John B, Pai TW, et al.
    Mar Environ Res, 2022 Dec;182:105782.
    PMID: 36308800 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105782
    Human emissions of carbon dioxide are causing irreversible changes in our oceans and impacting marine phytoplankton, including a group of small green algae known as picochlorophytes. Picochlorophytes grown in natural phytoplankton communities under future predicted levels of carbon dioxide have been demonstrated to thrive, along with redistribution of the cellular metabolome that enhances growth rate and photosynthesis. Here, using next-generation sequencing technology, we measured levels of transcripts in a picochlorophyte Chlorella, isolated from the sub-Antarctic and acclimated under high and current ambient CO2 levels, to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved with its ability to acclimate to elevated CO2. Compared to other phytoplankton taxa that induce broad transcriptomic responses involving multiple parts of their cellular metabolism, the changes observed in Chlorella focused on activating gene regulation involved in different sets of pathways such as light harvesting complex binding proteins, amino acid synthesis and RNA modification, while carbon metabolism was largely unaffected. Triggering a specific set of genes could be a unique strategy of small green phytoplankton under high CO2 in polar oceans.
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