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Antioxidant activities in tropical marine macroalgae from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

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Abstract

Extracts from 48 marine macroalgae species (17 Chlorophyta, 8 Phaeophyta and 23 Rhodophyta) from the coasts of Yucatan and Quintana Roo (Mexico) were evaluated for antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity was measured with the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrasyl) method, and the phenolic content of each extract were also evaluated. All species exhibited a DPPH radical scavenging activity, and three species (Avrainvillea longicaulis, Chondria baileyana and Lobophora variegata) demonstrated great antioxidant potential with very low oxidation index EC50 (1.44 ± 0.01, 2.84 ± 0.07 and 0.32 ± 0.01 mg mL−1, respectively), significantly equivalent to EC50 of some commercial antioxidants such as α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, BHA and BHT. Moreover, extracts of the most active species exhibited reducing activities, superoxide anion radical scavenging and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that some macroalgae from the Yucatan peninsula have a great antioxidant potential which could be considered for future applications in medicine, food production or cosmetic industry.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financed by SAGARPA-CONACYT (Contract 2002-C01-1057). The authors thank J.L. Godinez for identification of the macroalgae species and C. Chávez and M.L. Zaldivar for technical assistance.

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  1. Departamento de Recursos del Mar, CINVESTAV Unidad Mérida, Km 6 Carretera Antigua a Progreso, A.P. 73 Cordemex, 97310, Mérida, Yucatan, México

    Mayalen Zubia, Daniel Robledo & Yolanda Freile-Pelegrin

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  1. Mayalen Zubia
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  2. Daniel Robledo
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  3. Yolanda Freile-Pelegrin
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Correspondence to Yolanda Freile-Pelegrin.

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Zubia, M., Robledo, D. & Freile-Pelegrin, Y. Antioxidant activities in tropical marine macroalgae from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. J Appl Phycol 19, 449–458 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-006-9152-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-006-9152-5

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