The bioactive compounds, total antioxidant capacity and protective effect against lipid oxidative damage of red blood cell (RBC) membranes of Mauritia flexuosa L. extracts from three altitude levels (low, middle and high zones) were analyzed. The identification of the main polyphenols in the fruit was performed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography/Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry analysis, while High-Performance Liquid Chromatography - Diode Array Detector was applied for the vitamin C and carotenoid analysis. The ability of the extracts (methanolic, free polyphenols and bound polyphenols) to protect RBC membranes against oxidative destruction was assessed utilizing the thiobarbituric acid reactive substance assay (TBARS) assay. Among the 14 phenolic compounds identified, quercetin glycosides were the most predominant ones. The fruit from the middle altitude zone showed higher vitamin C and lutein contents than those from the low and high areas, whilst higher values of β-Carotene were obtained in M. flexuosa L. from the low zone. The contents of flavonoids and total polyphenols were lower in fruit from the low zone, whilst the fruit from the middle zone had the highest values. Similar results were observed in the results of the antioxidant capacity assays. However, a significant difference was not found in the protective effect of the extracts from the three altitude zones against lipid peroxidation in RBC membranes.

Biofilms are associated with infections that are resistant to conventional therapies, contributing to the antimicrobial resistance crisis. The need for alternative approaches against biofilms is well-known. Although natural products like stingless bee honeys (tribe: Meliponini) constitute an alternative treatment, much is still unknown. Our main goal was to evaluate the antibiofilm activity of stingless bee honey samples against multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens through biomass assays, fluorescence (cell count and viability), and scanning electron (structural composition) microscopy. We analyzed thirty-five honey samples at 15% (v/v) produced by ten different stingless bee species (Cephalotrigona sp., Melipona sp., M. cramptoni, M. fuscopilosa, M. grandis, M. indecisa, M. mimetica, M. nigrifacies, Scaptotrigona problanca, and Tetragonisca angustula) from five provinces of Ecuador (Tungurahua, Pastaza, El Oro, Los Ríos, and Loja) against 24-h biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans, and Candida tropicalis. The present honey set belonged to our previous study, where the samples were collected in 2018–2019 and their physicochemical parameters, chemical composition, mineral elements, and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) were screened. However, the polyphenolic profile and their antibiofilm activity on susceptible and multidrug-resistant pathogens were still unknown. According to polyphenolic profile of the honey samples, significant differences were observed according to their geographical origin in terms of the qualitative profiles. The five best honey samples (OR24.1, LR34, LO40, LO48, and LO53) belonging to S. problanca, Melipona sp., and M. indecisa were selected for further analysis due to their high biomass reduction values, identification of the stingless bee specimens, and previously reported physicochemical parameters. This subset of honey samples showed a range of 63–80% biofilm inhibition through biomass assays. Fluorescence microscopy (FM) analysis evidenced statistical log reduction in the cell count of honey-treated samples in all pathogens (P <0.05), except for S. aureus ATCC 25923. Concerning cell viability, C. tropicalis, K. pneumoniae ATCC 33495, and K. pneumoniae KPC significantly decreased (P <0.01) by 21.67, 25.69, and 45.62%, respectively. Finally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis demonstrated structural biofilm disruption through cell morphological parameters (such as area, size, and form). In relation to their polyphenolic profile, medioresinol was only found in the honey of Loja, while scopoletin, kaempferol, and quercetin were only identified in honey of Los Rios, and dihydrocaffeic and dihydroxyphenylacetic acids were only detected in honey of El Oro. All the five honey samples showed dihydrocoumaroylhexose, luteolin, and kaempferol rutinoside. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first study to analyze stingless bees honey-treated biofilms of susceptible and/or MDR strains of S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and Candida species.

The marine kingdom is an important source of a huge variety of scaffolds inspiring the design of new drugs. The complex molecules found in the oceans present a great challenge to organic and medicinal chemists. However, the wide variety of biological activities they can display is worth the effort. In this article, we present an overview of different seaweeds as potential sources of bioactive pigments with activity against neurodegenerative diseases, especially due to their neuroprotective effects. Along with a broad introduction to seaweed as a source of bioactive pigments, this review is especially focused on astaxanthin and fucoxanthin as potential neuroprotective and/or anti-neurodegenerative agents. PubMed and SciFinder were used as the main sources to search and select the most relevant scientific articles within the field.