An n-3 PUFA-rich microalgal oil diet protects to a similar extent as a fish oil-rich diet against AOM-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci in F344 rats.

The chemopreventive effects of high fat microalgal oil diet on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) were studied in male Fischer 344 rats following 8 weeks of dietary treatment. These effects were compared to the effects of high fat fish oil and high fat corn oil diets to determine whether microalgal oil is a good alternative for fish oil regarding protection against colorectal cancer. Despite the difference in fatty acid composition and total amount of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) between microalgal oil and fish oil, both these oils gave the same 50% reduction of AOM-induced ACF when compared to corn oil.

Assessment of technological options and economical feasibility for cyanophycin biopolymer and high-value amino acid production.

Major transitions can be expected within the next few decades aiming at the reduction of pollution and global warming and at energy saving measures. For these purposes, new sustainable biorefinery concepts will be needed that will replace the traditional mineral oil-based synthesis of specialty and bulk chemicals. An important group of these chemicals are those that comprise N-functionalities.

Bio-refinery as the bio-inspired process to bulk chemicals.

This paper describes several examples of knowledge-intensive technologies for the production of chemicals from biomass, which take advantage of the biomass structure in a more efficient way than the production of fuels or electricity alone. The depletion in fossil feedstocks, increasing oil prices, and the ecological problems associated with CO(2) emissions are forcing the development of alternative resources for energy, transport fuels, and chemicals, such as the replacement of fossil resources with CO(2) neutral biomass. Allied with this is the conversion of crude oil products utilizes primary products (ethylene, etc.

A comparative study on the effect of algal and fish oil on viability and cell proliferation of Caco-2 cells.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) rich micro-algal oil was tested in vitro and compared with fish oil for antiproliferative properties on cancer cells in vitro. Oils derived from Crypthecodinium cohnii, Schizochytrium sp. and Nitzschia laevis, three commercial algal oil capsules, and menhaden fish oil were used in cell viability and proliferation tests with human colon adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells.

Differential induction of electrophile-responsive element-regulated genes by n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

In this study the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid appear to be effective inducers of electrophile-responsive element (EpRE) regulated genes, whereas the n-6 PUFA arachidonic acid is not. These n-3 PUFAs need to be oxidized to induce EpRE-regulated gene expression, as the antioxidant vitamin E can partially inhibit the PUFA induced dose-dependent effect. Results were obtained using a reporter gene assay, real-time RT-PCR and enzyme activity assays.