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Knowledge on the seaweeds of eastern Sorsogon in the Philippines is uneven. Not only is eastern Sorsogon among the areas of high seaweed diversity but locals there have interacted with seaweeds for ages. Despite seaweeds' assumed importance to Sorsoganon, ethnobotanical records are missing. In this study, we documented the traditional knowledge on seaweed use and determined the rate of knowledge transmission among the locals of eastern Sorsogon. Vernacular names and modes of preparation were given of the 12 identified species bearing culinary and medicinal importance. Ten species were eaten while three were used therapeutically. Based on ethnobotanical indices, Caulerpa chemnitzia ecad turbinata and Gelidiella acerosa were the most important seaweeds. The least cited was Caulerpa racemosa. Our study demonstrated that most of the seaweed resources in eastern Sorsogon remain largely untapped, as the identified ethnotaxa were only about 5% of the total seaweed species diversity reported for the area. The seaweed knowledge in eastern Sorsogon appeared to be homogenous across age groups with primary sources of knowledge biased towards female relatives (mothers and grandmothers) and to children as inheritors. Cessation of seaweed knowledge may come at a potential cost, as a significant fraction of the population did not transmit their knowledge to others. Our study furthered the interest in providing sophisticated resource management recommendations that consider the relationships of traditional and scientific knowledge of seaweed selection and use in eastern Sorsogon and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In carcinogenesis, increased metabolism, abnormal functioning of mitochondria, peroxisomes, aberrant cell signaling, and prolonged inflammation can result in the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In turn, excess ROS can upregulate the expression of various signaling pathways including the MAP kinase, PI3K/Akt, and NFκB cascades in cancer. The constitutive expression of NFκB causes drug resistance in lung cancer. Hence, drugs that can enhance the antioxidant activity of enzymes and regulate the NFκB activity are of prime target to manage the drug resistance and inflammation in cancer. This study evaluated the effect of compounds present in ethyl acetate extract of Gelidiella acerosa on inflammation and on antioxidant enzymes in lung cancer. The anti-inflammatory activity was determined under in silico and in vitro conditions. The in silico analysis showed that the phyto-constituents of G. acerosa inhibit the IKBα-NFκB-p65-p50 complex in a similar way as that of doxorubicin and dexamethasone. Similarly, G. acerosa treatment enhanced the efficiency of antioxidant enzymes peroxidases and superoxide dismutase in A549 lung cancer cells. Furthermore, the results of in vitro analysis showed that G. acerosa can decrease the activation of NFκB and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and upregulate the expression of IL 10. As inflammation causes cancer progression, the inhibition of inflammation inhibits tumorigenesis. Hence, based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that G. acerosa exerts anti-inflammatory activity by decreasing the expression of NFκB cascade and moreover, the phyto-constituents of G. acerosa may have the potential to regulate the inflammatory response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibriosis causes a problem in aquaculture and human health. The antibiotic resistance and the limited availability of antimicrobial agents are the driving force for searching for new antivibrio compounds from natural products. Herein, we evaluated ten marine Actinobacteria isolated from red seaweed Gelidiella acerosa for antivibriosis, cytotoxicity and secondary metabolites genes in the way to find a new antivibrio agent. Five Actinobacteria isolates exhibited activity against Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus with MIC ranging from 0.625 to 5 µg/µl. All isolates displayed no cytotoxicity against Vero cell line except for isolate DR-2R-115-8. All isolates harbour nrps gene, which might indicate that these isolates have great potential in the production of bioactive peptides while none of the isolates showed the presence of pks I, II and hmgcr genes. Identification of ten isolates of marine Actinobacteria associated with red algae was classified into four genera of Brevibacterium, Nocardiopsis, Allokutzneria and Brachybacterium. Our study revealed that the marine Actinobacteria associated with red algae Gelidiella acerosa were promising sources for controlling vibriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study exclusively focused on the potential application of an inexpensive and sustainable waste macro-algal biomass as an adsorbent for biosorption of copper ions from aqueous medium. After extraction of agar from brown macro-marine algae Gelidiella acerosa, the residual biomass without any further treatment was used as an adsorbent for the expulsion of copper from wastewater. Physicochemical parameters of biosorption like initial pH, initial concentration of Cu(II) solution and biosorbent dosage were optimized using response surface methodology. The maximum copper biosorption potential of 96.36% was observed at optimum conditions of pH of 5.31, initial concentration of 23.87 mg/l and biosorbent dosage of 0.41 g/l. Adopting FTIR and SEM techniques, the surface morphological features of biosorbent were studied. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found to be a proper approach to describe biosorption kinetics. All these results confirmed that spent G. acerosa could be considered as an efficient, eco-friendly and economic alternative for Cu(II) removal from aqueous solution.

Abstract Background Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype of Non small cell lung cancer in which the PI3K/Akt cascade is frequently deregulated. The ubiquitous expression of the PI3K and the frequent inactivation of PTEN accounts for the prolonged survival, evasion of apoptosis and metastasis in cancer. This has led to the development of PI3K inhibitors in the treatment of cancer. Synthetic PI3K inhibitors undergoing clinical and preclinical studies are toxic in animals. Hence, there is a critical need to identify PI3K inhibitor(s) of natural origin. The current study aims to explore the efficacy of the red algae Gelidiella acerosaon inhibition of cell proliferation, migration and the expression of cell survival genes in lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549. Methods The phytoconstituents of Gelidiella acerosa were extracted sequentially with solvents of different polarity, screened qualitatively and quantitatively for secondary metabolites and characterized by GC-MS. The in-vitro studies were performed to check the efficacy of the extract on cell proliferation (MTT assay), cell invasion (scratch assay and colony formation assay), apoptosis (fluorescent, confocal microscopy and flow cytometry) and expression of apoptosis and cell survival proteins including PI3K, Akt and GSK3β and matrix metalloproteinase MMP2 and MMP9 by Western blot method. The antitumor activity of GAE was analyzed in a tumor model of Zebrafish. Results The outcomes of the in vitro analysis showed an inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, inhibition of cell migration and colonization by the crude extract. The analysis of protein expression showed the activation of caspases 3 and Pro apoptotic protein Bax accompanied by decreased expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL. On the other hand, subsequent activation of GSK3β and down regulation of PI3K, Akt were observed. The decreased expression of MMP2 correlated with the antimetastatic activity of the extract. The in vivo studies showed an inhibition of tumor growth by GAE in Zebrafish. Conclusion The phytoconstituents of algal extract contributed to the anticancer properties as evidenced by in vitro and in vivo studies. These phytoconstituents can be considered as a natural source of PI3K/Akt inhibitor for treatment of cancers involving the PI3K cascade.

This study exclusively focused on the potential application of an inexpensive and sustainable waste macro-algal biomass as an adsorbent for biosorption of copper ions from aqueous medium. After extraction of agar from brown macro-marine algae Gelidiella acerosa, the residual biomass without any further treatment was used as an adsorbent for the expulsion of copper from wastewater. Physicochemical parameters of biosorption like initial pH, initial concentration of Cu(II) solution and biosorbent dosage were optimized using response surface methodology. The maximum copper biosorption potential of 96.36% was observed at optimum conditions of pH of 5.31, initial concentration of 23.87 mg/l and biosorbent dosage of 0.41 g/l. Adopting FTIR and SEM techniques, the surface morphological features of biosorbent were studied. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found to be a proper approach to describe biosorption kinetics. All these results confirmed that spent G. acerosa could be considered as an efficient, eco-friendly and economic alternative for Cu(II) removal from aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype of Non small cell lung cancer in which the PI3K/ Akt cascade is frequently deregulated. The ubiquitous expression of the PI3K and the frequent inactivation of PTEN accounts for the prolonged survival, evasion of apoptosis and metastasis in cancer. This has led to the development of PI3K inhibitors in the treatment of cancer. Synthetic PI3K inhibitors undergoing clinical and preclinical studies are toxic in animals. Hence, there is a critical need to identify PI3K inhibitor(s) of natural origin. The current study aims to explore the efficacy of the red algae Gelidiella acerosaon inhibition of cell proliferation, migration and the expression of cell survival genes in lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549. Methods: The phytoconstituents of Gelidiella acerosa were extracted sequentially with solvents of different polarity, screened qualitatively and quantitatively for secondary metabolites and characterized by GC-MS. The in-vitro studies were performed to check the efficacy of the extract on cell proliferation (MTT assay), cell invasion (scratch assay and colony formation assay), apoptosis (fluorescent, confocal microscopy and flow cytometry) and expression of apoptosis and cell survival proteins including PI3K, Akt and GSK3β and matrix metalloproteinase MMP2 and MMP9 by Western blot method. The antitumor activity of GAE was analyzed in a tumor model of Zebrafish. Results: The outcomes of the in vitro analysis showed an inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, inhibition of cell migration and colonization by the crude extract. The analysis of protein expression showed the activation of caspases 3 and Pro apoptotic protein Bax accompanied by decreased expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL. On the other hand, subsequent activation of GSK3β and down regulation of PI3K, Akt were observed. The decreased expression of MMP2 correlated with the antimetastatic activity of the extract. The in vivo studies showed an inhibition of tumor growth by GAE in Zebrafish. Conclusion: The phytoconstituents of algal extract contributed to the anticancer properties as evidenced by in vitro and in vivo studies. These phytoconstituents can be considered as a natural source of PI3K/Akt inhibitor for treatment of cancers involving the PI3K cascade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium biosorption capacity of the biosorbent prepared from Gelidiella acerosa (brown algae) from synthetic cadmium solutions at optimum process conditions was investigated. The surface functional groups of the biosorbent responsible for biosorption were identified using FTIR analysis and the surface texture and porosity of the biosorbent was analyzed by SEM analysis. Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) combined with central composite design (CCD) were used for modeling and optimization of biosorption and to study interaction effects of the three effective process variables such as solution pH, initial cadmium ion concentration and biosorbent dosage. Prediction capacities of RSM and ANN were compared and found that RSM showed better prediction performance than ANN. Kinetic data were well fitted to second order rate equation showing maximum biosorption capacity of 21.73 mg/g for 100 mg/l metal solution concentration. It was further confirmed by fitting the data to Elovich model. Biosorption mechanism was investigated using Intra-particle diffusion and Boyd models. The optimum cadmium removal efficiency of the biosorbent was found as 90.25%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolites isolated from Gelidiella species (Rhodophyta) have been few studied. We evaluated a sulfated polysaccharidic fraction from G. acerosa collected from two Brazilian beaches on the northwestern coast of Brazil (Flecheiras-F and Pedra Rachada-PR) on coagulation proteases and thrombosis. Their toxicity in vivo was also assessed. Enzymatic extractions yielded 1.40%, and similar chromatographic profiles (DEAE-cellulose) were obtained, with fractions (Ga-I→V) containing differences among the relative proportions of sulfate (5-42%), and revealing charge density patterns by electrophoresis. Ga-IV-PR had a discrete effect (3.01 IU mg-1) on normal human coagulation compared with heparin (193 IU mg-1) and was tested on coagulation proteases (thrombin and factor Xa) in the presence of antithrombin and in a model of venous thrombosis in rats using thromboplastin as the thrombogenic stimulus. The systems were inhibited; but at higher doses (>1.0 mg kg-1), this fraction reverted the antithrombotic effect. Regarding the toxicological study, consecutive Ga-IV (9 mg kg-1) for 14 days did not cause mortality in mice, but some biochemical and hematological parameters were discretely altered. Histopathological analysis revealed that increased liver and spleen sizes had no toxicological significance. Therefore, G. acerosa does not biochemically change its matrix polysaccharide composition and proved to be safe antithrombotic agent.

In India, food-grade agar is produced from Gracilaria edulis while bacteriological-grade agar is extracted from Gelidiella acerosa. Agarose is directly obtained from Gracilaria dura. Seaweeds for agar production mainly come from wild stocks located in reefs of the Gulf of Mannar, southeast coast. Landings of Gr. edulis were peak (982 dry t) during 1990 while landings of Ge. acerosa reached maximum (665 dry t) during 2002-2003. Overexploitation is leading to a decrease in biomass of these two algae at an alarming rate for the last decade. Commercial cultivation of agarophytes is yet to increase in India in spite of growing pressure on wild stocks triggered by increase in demand of raw material by the industry. Taking this into consideration, a number of efforts have been initiated to develop feasible cultivation methods for agarophytes. The present paper summarizes various methods developed for commercial cultivation of Gr. edulis, Gr. dura, Gracilaria verrucosa and Ge. acerosa in the open sea. We also discuss the challenges in the development of commercial farming of agarophytes in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gelidioid specimens from Singapore were analyzed using sequences of cox 1 and rbcL to identify the species. Both datasets revealed the presence of four species: Gelidiella acerosa, Pterocladiella bartlettii, Pterocladieila caerulescens and Gelidium sentosaense sp. nov., described here. Gelidium sentosaense formed small tufts up to 1 cm high and occurred in monospecific patches on cement beds at the outlet of drainpipes at intertidal areas. A morphological investigation of fresh specimens collected from Singapore revealed that G. sentosaense was similar to Gelidium pusillum, which is limited to North Atlantic coasts. However, it was distinguished by longitudinal striations present on the surface of branches and rhizines scattered in the inner cortex and medulla. Phylogenetic analyses of rbcL and cox 1 sequences revealed that G. sentosaense consistently formed a clade with Gelidium sp. from Oman and Gelidiumpluma from Hawaii but it was distinct from previously described Gelidium species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of irradiance and temperature on the photosynthesis of an agarophyte from Thailand, Gelidiella acerosa (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta), was determined using dissolved oxygen sensors and pulse-amplitude modulated fluorometry (PAM). A model of the net photosynthesis-irradiance ( P- E) curve at 28 °C revealed that the saturation and compensation irradiances were 83 (95 % Bayesian credible interval (BCI), 52-128) μmol photons m s and 37 (BCI, 29-45) μmol photons m s, respectively. Gross photosynthesis and dark respiration were also determined over a range of temperatures (16-40 °C), revealing that the gross photosynthetic rate was highest at 18.4 (BCI, 15.9-20.8) mg O g min at 29.2 (BCI, 26.8-32.1) °C. Dark respiration rate could be fitted to a second-order polynomial regression ( P < 0.01) over the range of the experimental temperatures, and the magnitudes of the rates ranged from 0.49 to 0.93 mg O g min °C. The highest value of the maximum effective quantum yield (Φ at 0 μmol photons m s) occurred at 27.7 (BCI, 26.5-28.9) °C and was 0.57 (BCI, 0.55-0.58), and the values of Φ decreased above and below 27.7 °C. Although this species is considered to be well-adapted to the current seawater temperatures of the region, the results of the experiments also suggest that they are likely close to the limiting temperature conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal variations in epiphytic assemblages on Gelidiella acerosa cultivated in 2different methods (Floating raft and Bottom concrete block) were studied for 13 months from November 2009 to November 2010 covering all 4 seasons (northeast monsoon, southwest monsoon, autumn and summer). Twenty-five macro algal species were found in raft culture. Chaetomorpha linum Jania adhaerens, Hypnea valentiae, and Lyngbya majuscula were the dominant epiphytes. Twenty-four epiphytic algae were recorded in bottom concrete block culture. Caulerpa racemosa, Caulerpa peltata, Struvea anastomosans, Zonaria variegata, Padina tetrastromatica, Dictyota sp., J. adhaerens, and L. majuscula were the dominant epiphytic species. Seasonal trend in total epiphytic density was the same in both the culture with maximum density during autumn season (192 ± 41 epiphytes m in raft; 498 ± 10 epiphytes m in concrete block) and minimum during northeast monsoon season (112 ± 5 epiphytes m in raft; 247 ± 1 epiphytes m in concrete block). Seasonal variations in dominant epiphyte density followed the trend of total epiphytes with highest in monsoon and autumn seasons. Salinity showed significant positive correlation with epiphyte density ( r = 0.63, P = <0.05), while temperature showed strong negative correlation ( r = −0.63, P < 0.05; r = −0.77, P < 0.01). Light microscopic study and scanning electron microscopic study revealed the extent of penetration of epiphytes into host cortex cell. However, this should be confirmed with a transmission electron microscopic study. The results in this paper will be useful to the farmers in understanding the impact of epiphytes on crop yield and define the strategies to avoid epiphytes on G. acerosa in cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Studies on the production of bioethanol from red algae (Gelidiella acerosa) by dilute acid pretreatment and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation were performed. The non-cellulosic compounds were significantly reduced during dilute acid pretreatment. Results obtained in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation showed that the ethanol yield was affected by the changes in pretreatment, liquid to solid ratio, enzyme concentration, and pH. Kinetic study was also performed with experimental value to analyze the production rate and their actual means of production process. The maximum 91.62% of theoretical yield of ethanol was obtained at 36 h of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation under optimized conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Citric acid (CA) is the most important commercial product which is produced by using various sugar substrates in the terrestrial environment. The present study made an attempt to produce citric acid by the fungal strain Aspergillus niger from red seaweed Gelidiella acerosa is the best alternative to sugar substrate in the marine environment. In this study three types of production media were prepared including control (sucrose) by following standard fermentation conditions. The acid production was indicated by the reduction of pH levels. The control medium gave the highest yield of 80 g/l at pH 1.5 and the medium containing crude seaweed powder and other compositions gave the yield of 30 g/l at pH 3.5 whereas the medium containing crude seaweed and 10% sucrose gave the yield of 50 g/l at pH 3.0. When calculating the benefit cost ratio, crude seaweed powder and 10% sucrose yielded 50 g of citric acid at the lower cost of Rs. 35, whereas the other two media gave the yield of 80 and 30 g respectively with the cost of Rs. 77 and 28. In economic point of view, the medium containing seaweed and 10% sucrose showed more benefit with lower cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study describes a suspended stone (SS) method developed for in situ propagation of Gelidiella acerosa. The biomass yield potentials with various growth parameters were studied and compared to the floating raft method that was regarded as a superior method for Gelidiella propagation. The biomass of G. acerosa produced by the SS method consistently increased from the first to the fourth harvest (r = 0.940; P < 0.01) and ranged from 528 to 3645 g fresh wt m−2. For the raft method biomass increased from the first to the third harvest (977–1288 g fresh wt m−2) and then decreased in the fourth harvest (953 g fresh wt m−2). The DGR values of the SS method increased exponentially (r = 0.865; P < 0.05) from the first to the fourth harvest (1.33–2.62%) and these values significantly differed from those obtained from the raft method in the second to fourth harvest (P < 0.001) but did not significantly differ in the first harvest (P > 0.05). The biomass of an individual plant harvested from the SS method was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than those obtained for the raft method at all four harvests. The frequency distribution of weight of an individual plant in the SS method also constantly increased in successive harvests and 5% of the plantings in the fourth harvest attained a biomass of 200–250 g fresh wt. The in situ propagation of this species through the SS method described in this study could be a viable option for conservation and large-scale farming in the sea. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The synthesis, characterization and application of biologically synthesized nanomaterials are an important aspect in nanotechnology. The present study deals with the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) using the aqueous extract of red seaweed Gelidiella acerosa as the reducing agent to study the antifungal activity. The formation of Ag-NPs was confirmed by UV-Visible Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The synthesized Ag-NPs was predominately spherical in shape and polydispersed. Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy analysis showed that the synthesized nano-Ag was capped with bimolecular compounds which are responsible for reduction of silver ions. The antifungal effects of these nanoparticles were studied against Humicola insolens (MTCC 4520), Fusarium dimerum (MTCC 6583), Mucor indicus (MTCC 3318) and Trichoderma reesei (MTCC 3929). The present study indicates that Ag-NPs have considerable antifungal activity in comparison with standard antifungal drug, and hence further investigation for clinical applications is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of alkali pre-treatments on the properties of agar obtained from Gelidiella acerosa and Gelidium pusillum growing along the West and South coast of India was studied in order to evaluate its potential for industrial use. Agar samples were extracted by hot water extraction and termed native agar, and alkali pre-treatment was carried out with various NaOH concentrations e.g. 4%, 6%, 8%, 10% and 15%, to optimise the alkali concentration for preparation of alkali-treated agar. Gelidiella acerosa and Gelidium pusillum produced superior quality agar polymers having greater gel strengths 2,000 ± 50 and 1,400 ± 50 g cm and lower sulphate contents ≤0.30% and ≤0.50%, respectively, as opposed the low gel strength and high sulphate content agars reported in the literature. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties of agars were identical with the commercially available agars. The results of this study revealed that Indian agarophytes may be used for production of superior quality agar and agaroses, which may be used for food and biological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the study which evaluates four cultivation methods, including raft, bottom net, coral block and cement block, for propagation of Gelidiella acerosa (G. acerosa) in the open sea in India. It reveals that raft method has the highest daily growth rate (DGR) of 1.11 to 1.31% and biomass of 973 to 1,228 gram fresh weight meter -2. It highlights the importance of raft method of cultivation using germplasm from Sethukarai for the successful cultivation of G. acerosa. It also determines the significance of augmentation of exploited seaweeds through cultivation practices in preserving natural biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

The Gulf of Mannar on the southeast coast of India, which has recently been declared as biosphere reserve, is the main harvesting place of Gelidiella acerosa for the Indian agar industry. The biomass harvested from natural stocks was estimated to be over 10 000 tonnes dry weight (DW) in the last two decades and is a serious cause of concern on long term sustainability of this valuable resource from this region. The present study reports the seasonal variation in the biomass and agar yield and quality from G. acerosa in four different habitats such as Rameswaram (rocky intertidal), Ervadi (lower intertidal), Sethukarai (subtidal) and Krusadai Island (lagoon reef area). A maximum biomass of 260 ± 26 g DW m−2 was recorded from Ervadi, whereas Sethukarai showed the highest percentage cover (69.83 ± 4.83%) and density (208.20 ± 30.16 plants m−2). Biomass, percentage cover and density were lowest in Rameswaram and significantly lower ( P < 0.001) than the other three stations. A single peak in biomass was observed with autumn maxima in Ervadi and Rameswaram and southwest monsoon maxima in Sethukarai and Krusaidai Island. Length of G. acerosa was maximum (9.65 ± 0.25 cm) in Ervadi and the branch index value was maximum (24.70 ± 4.01 br−1 g−1 DW) for Rameswaram. Agar yield (37.24 ± 7.59%) and gel strength (448.66 ± 6.50 g/cm2) were higher in Sethukarai plants. The agar yields attained a peak in the northeast monsoon and decreased in summer, whereas a reverse trend was observed for gel strength. Evidently, agar yield showed a strong negative correlation with gel strength ( P < 0.0001) and gelling ( P < 0.0001) and melting temperatures ( P < 0.01). The single annual peak in biomass observed in the present study, as compared with two peaks reported earlier, are attributed to the continuous overharvesting that would have had an effect on the overall annual biomass production. The findings of this study reveal that a single harvest during the autumn months (January to March) could yield optimum biomass with moderate agar and that would be the best for sustainable usage and conservation of this resource from this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we document two species of the genus Gelidiella from Taiwan including a new species, Gelidiella fanii sp. nov., from eastern and southern Taiwan. Although the type specimen of Gelidiella acerosa from Yemen was not available during this study, analyses of rbcL sequences indicate that specimens identified as G. acerosa from the Caribbean Sea, southeastern Australia, and the Indo-Pacific oceans and G. fanii from Taiwan are clearly separate species. Gelidiella fanii differs morphologically from Taiwan G. acerosa specimens in having strict unilateral branching, cylindrical to compressed erect axes, numerous surface hairs on the distal ends of branches and branchlets, iridescent thalli, and smaller tetrasporangia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Seventeen agar samples were extracted from Gelidiella acerosa (Forsskal) Feldmann and Hamel (Rhodophyta, Gelidiales) specimens collected from nine different sites on the Indian coast—five from southeast coast and four from the west coast. The agar samples were analysed. The stability characteristics of the gels of selected agar samples were studied by rheometry under applied stress conditions, i.e. variation of the storage (G′) and loss moduli (G″) were studied under varying frequency and duration (time) of the stress applied. Yield, apparent and dynamic viscosities, gelling and melting temperatures, 3,6-anhydrogalactose (3,6-AG), sulphate contents and TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis) measurements of the products were done. It was observed that the best quality agar was produced by G. acerosa occurring in the Gulf of Mannar region in the southeast coast. The gel strengths and the viscosities of agars extracted from Gelidiella acerosa occurring in the Gulf of Mannar ranged from 500 to 700gcm−2 and 33 to 45cP for 2001 collections and for 2002 collections the corresponding values were 450 to 845gcm−2 and 55 to 67cP respectively. On the other hand, for the agar samples extracted from the west coast of India, the gel strength and viscosities values ranged from 225 to 400gcm−2 and from 15 to 30cP, respectively. The agars obtained from G. acerosa collected from southeast coast have been found to be suitable for bacterial culture and molecular biology. This is the first report of superior quality of agar from the Indian agarophytes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Phytoconstituents play an important role in human health. They are used in the management of various diseases including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, obesity and Alzheimer's. The current study aims to isolate, characterize the phytoconstituents from marine algae Gelidiella acerosa and to determine its anticancer activity under in vitro conditions. The algae was subjected to sequential extraction with solvents like hexane, dichloro methane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol and water. The extracts were analyzed for their phytochemical composition and antiproliferative activity by MTT assay in A549 cells. Among the extracts analyzed, the ethyl acetate extract inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells was selected. Among the four fractions obtained, fraction 1 was analyzed by GC-MS to identify its constituents, evaluated for its anticancer efficiency in A549 cell line by MTT assay, and investigated for the expression of apoptotic biomarkers: Bax, Bcl2, Bcl-XL, Caspase3 and Caspase 8 by Real Time-PCR. The results of GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 1,2 benzene dicarboxylic acid, mono 2 ethylhexyl ester, 10- octadecanoic acid methyl ester, 1- heneicosyl formate, eicosene, 3- octadecane, 9-octadecanoic acid and 12- hydroxyl methyl ester. The outcomes of anticancer activity showed that the fraction 1 inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells (IC50 15 μg/ml) by inducing cytotoxicity. The results of Real Time PCR showed the activation of Caspase 3 and variation in Bax: Bcl2 ratio indicating the induction of apoptosis by fraction1. These results showed that fraction1 has significant anticancer activity and can be utilized for the development of novel drugs for cancer. • Phytoconstituents from Gelidiella acerosa induced cytotoxicity and inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells. • The algal compounds activated Caspase 3 and altered Bax: Bcl2 ratio. • These compounds can be used for the development of novel drugs in the management of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]