In the actual post-antibiotic era, novel ways of rethinking antimicrobial research approaches are more urgent than ever. Natural compounds with antimicrobial activity such as fatty acids and monoacylglycerols have been investigated for decades. Additionally, the interest in other lipid classes as antimicrobial agents is rising. This review provides an overview on the research about plant and marine lipids with potential antimicrobial activity, the methods for obtaining and analyzing these compounds, with emphasis on lipidomics, and future perspectives for bioprospection and applications for antimicrobial lipids. Lipid extracts or lipids isolated from higher plants, algae or marine invertebrates are promising molecules to inactivate a wide spectrum of microorganisms. These lipids include a variety of chemical structures. Present and future challenges in the research of antimicrobial lipids from natural origin are related to the investment and optimization of the analytical workflow based on lipidomics tools, complementary to the bioassay-guided fractionation, to identify the active compound(s). Also, further work is needed regarding the study of their mechanism of action, the structure–activity relationship, the synergistic effect with conventional antibiotics, and the eventual development of resistance to lipids, which, as far as is known, is unlikely.

Marine edible macroalgae have functional proprieties that might improve human health and wellbeing. Lipids represent a minor fraction of macroalgae, yet with major interest as main carriers of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and intrinsic bioactive properties. In this study, we used lipid extracts from the green macroalgae Ulva rigida and Codium tomentosum; the red Gracilaria gracilis,Palmaria palmata and Porphyra dioica; and the brown Fucus vesiculosus, produced in a land-based integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) system. We determined the lipid quality indices based on their fatty acid profiles and their bioactivities as putative antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative agents. The results reveal to be species-specific, namely U. rigida displayed the lowest atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices. Palmaria palmata and F. vesiculosus lipid extracts displayed the lowest inhibitory concentration in the free radical scavenging antioxidant assays. Ulva rigida, C. tomentosum, P. palmata and P. dioica inhibited COX-2 activity by up to 80%, while P. dioica and P. palmata extracts showed the highest cytotoxic potential in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. This work enhances the valorization of macroalgae as functional foods and promising ingredients for sustainable and healthy diets and fosters new applications of high-valued algal biomass, in a species-specific context.

Marine ecosystems comprise a high diversity of life forms, such as algae, invertebrates, and vertebrates. These organisms have adapted their physiology according to the conditions of the environments in which they inhabit. In the last few years, the study of lipids of marine origin has received increasing attention due to the diversity of their composition. The progress of analytical techniques such as LC-MS and MS/MS has allowed researchers to improve accurate processing of samples and lipid characterization. Lipidomics is a useful research field to understand marine ecosystems and the physiology of their organisms. The screening of biological systems in marine environments has demonstrated a significant diversity of lipids in their living resources. In this review, we provide the state-of-the-art marine of lipidomics studies. We describe in detail the lipidomics approach for the analysis of marine lipidomes, including sample collection and preparation, interpretation of MS/MS fragmentation fingerprinting, data analysis and processing. Special attention is also given to illustrate the latest applications and advances of applied LC-MS lipidomic analyses in diversified studies of different marine organisms, as well as the challenges and future perspectives of marine lipidomics.

While complex lipids of seaweeds are known to display important phytochemical properties, their full potential is yet to be explored. This review summarizes the findings of a systematic survey of scientific publications spanning over the years 2000 to January 2021 retrieved from Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases to map the state of the art and identify knowledge gaps on the relationship between the complex lipids of seaweeds and their reported bioactivities. Eligible publications (270 in total) were classified in five categories according to the type of studies using seaweeds as raw biomass (category 1); studies using organic extracts (category 2); studies using organic extracts with identified complex lipids (category 3); studies of extracts enriched in isolated groups or classes of complex lipids (category 4); and studies of isolated complex lipids molecular species (category 5), organized by seaweed phyla and reported bioactivities. Studies that identified the molecular composition of these bioactive compounds in detail (29 in total) were selected and described according to their bioactivities (antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and others). Overall, to date, the value for seaweeds in terms of health and wellness effects were found to be mostly based on empirical knowledge. Although lipids from seaweeds are little explored, the published work showed the potential of lipid extracts, fractions, and complex lipids from seaweeds as functional ingredients for the food and feed, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. This knowledge will boost the use of the chemical diversity of seaweeds for innovative value-added products and new biotechnological applications.

Ulva species, green macroalgae, are widely distributed across the globe, being one of the most heavily traded edible seaweeds. Nonetheless, although this genus has been largely used in scientific studies, its lipidome remains rather unexplored. The present study sheds light over the lipid profile of Ulva rigida produced in a land-based integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry for molecular lipid species identification. The lipidome of U. rigida revealed the presence of distinct beneficial n-3 fatty acids for human health, namely alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA). A total of 87 molecular species of glycolipids, 58 molecular species of betaine lipids, and 57 molecular species of phospholipids were identified in the lipidome of U. rigida including some species bearing PUFA and with described bioactive properties. Overall, the present study contributes to the valorization and quality validation of sustainably farmed U. rigida.