Parkinsons Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, and is characterized by a progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Without an effective treatment, it is crucial to find new therapeutic options to fight the neurodegenerative process, which may arise from marine resources. Accordingly, the goal of the present work was to evaluate the ability of the monoterpenoid lactone Loliolide, isolated from the green seaweed Codium tomentosum, to prevent neurological cell death mediated by the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) on SH-SY5Y cells and their anti-inflammatory effects in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Loliolide was obtained from the diethyl ether extract, purified through column chromatography and identified by NMR spectroscopy. The neuroprotective effects were evaluated by the MTT method. Cells’ exposure to 6-OHDA in the presence of Loliolide led to an increase of cells’ viability in 40%, and this effect was mediated by mitochondrial protection, reduction of oxidative stress condition and apoptosis, and inhibition of the NF-kB pathway. Additionally, Loliolide also suppressed nitric oxide production and inhibited the production of TNF-α and IL-6 pro-inflammatory cytokines. The results suggest that Loliolide can inspire the development of new neuroprotective therapeutic agents and thus, more detailed studies should be considered to validate its pharmacological potential.

Photobacteriosis is a septicaemic bacterial disease affecting several marine species around the globe, resulting in significant economic losses. Although many studies have been performed related to the pathogen virulence and resistance factors, information regarding the host defence mechanisms activated once an infection takes place is still scarce. The present study was designed to understand innate immune responses of farmed juvenile gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) after Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (Phdp) infection. Therefore, two groups of seabream juveniles were intraperitoneally injected with 100 µL of PBS (placebo) or 100 µL of exponentially growing Phdp (1 × 10⁶ CFU/mL; infected). The blood, plasma, liver, and head kidney of six fish from each treatment were sampled immediately before infection and 3, 6, 9, 24 and 48 h after infection for the broad screening of fish immune and oxidative stress responses. Infected animals presented marked anaemia, neutrophilia and monocytosis, conditions that are correlated with an increased expression of genes related to inflammation and phagocytic activity. Similar studies with different fish species and bacteria can be useful for the definition of health biomarkers that might help fish farmers to prevent the occurrence of such diseases.

Vibriosis, an often-fatal disease induced by pathogenic members of the Vibrionaceae family, causes severe economic losses in aquacultures. To mitigate/avoid vibriosis outbursts, it is vital to detect and quantify these pathogens as early as possible. However, standard microbiological methods are time-consuming and often underestimate cell counts, which calls for the development of valid alternatives. In this study, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed to detect the pathogenic species Vibrio alginolyticus, Listonella anguillara, and Vibrio harveyi using a new primer pair targeting the groEL gene. In addition, the DNA extraction efficiency of three methods, two commercial kits and the boiling method, was compared. The most efficient method was the DNeasy Blood and Tissue kit, with a detection limit ranging between 154 and 600 CFU mL⁻¹ in the case of V. alginolyticus and L. anguillara, and 48 CFU mL⁻¹ for V. harveyi. Thus, this study presents the development and evaluation of a method for the early quantification of all three species in saline suspensions. However, the results obtained by spiking a microalgae sample with V. harveyi emphasize the importance of adjusting the DNA control’s standard curve to the relevant extraction matrices, as it affects the DNA extraction efficiency and may hamper an accurate quantification with qPCR.

The increase of antimicrobial resistant strains is leading to an emerging threat to public health. Pathogenic Vibrio are responsible for human and animal illness. The Enterobacteriaceae family includes microorganisms that affect humans, causing several infections. One of the main causes of human infection is related to the ingestion of undercooked seafood. Due to their filter-feeding habit, marine invertebrates, such as clams, are known to be a natural reservoir of specific microbial communities. In the present study, Vibrionaceae and coliforms microorganisms were isolated from clams. A microbial susceptibility test was performed using the disk diffusion method. From 43 presumptive Vibrio spp. and 17 coliforms, three Vibrio spp. with MICs to colistin >512 mg L⁻¹ were found. From the 23 antimicrobial resistance genes investigated, only the three isolates that showed phenotypic resistance to colistin contained the mcr-1 gene. Genotypic analysis for virulence genes in EB07V indicated chiA gene presence. The results from the plasmid cure and transformation showed that the resistance is chromosomally mediated. Biochemical analysis and MLSA, on the basis of four protein-coding gene sequences (recA, rpoB, groEL and dnaJ), grouped the isolates into the genus Vibrio but distinguished them as different from any known Vibrio spp.