Idaira Jerez Martel (Ph.D. Student): "Identification and quantification of polyphenols in microalgae. Involvement of these compounds in the oxidative stress resistance"

On preliminary studies in our laboratory, it has been demonstrated that some organic compounds, such as phenolic compounds, are involved in defense mechanisms against oxidative stress caused by high concentrations of metals (Rico et al., 2013; López et al., 2015). Therefore, several microalgae and cyanobacteria strains were screened for their radical scavenging activities against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical (Figure 1). In addition, six polyphenols were identified and quantified by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Euglena cf. cantabrica showed the highest concentration and antioxidant activity.

References :
- López, A., Rico, M., Santana-Casiano, J., González, A. & González-Dávila, M. (2015). Phenolic profile of Dunaliella tertiolecta growing under high levels of copper and iron. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 22, 14820-14828.
- Rico, M., López, A., Santana-Casiano, J., González & A., González-Dávila, M. (2013). Variability of the phenolic profile in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum growing under copper and iron stress. Limnol. Oceanogr., 58(1), 144-152.