The antiproliferative activity of carotenoids separated from marine Chlorella ellipsoidea and freshwater Chlorella vulgaris has been evaluated. HPLC analysis revealed that the main carotenoid from C. ellipsoidea was composed of violaxanthin with two minor xanthophylls, antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin, whereas the carotenoid from C. vulgaris was almost completely composed of lutein. In an MTT assay, both semipurified extracts of C. ellipsoidea and C. vulgaris inhibited HCT116 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, yielding IC(50) values of 40.73 +/- 3.71 and 40.31 +/- 4.43 microg/mL, respectively. In addition, treatment with both chlorella extracts enhanced the fluorescence intensity of the early apoptotic cell population in HCT116 cells. C. ellipsoidea extract produced an apoptosis-inducing effect almost 2.5 times stronger than that of the C. vulgaris extract. These results indicate that bioactive xanthophylls of C. ellipsoidea might be useful functional ingredients in the prevention of human cancers.

Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was applied to the extraction of carotenoids and chlorophylls from the green microalga Chlorella vulgaris. Four extraction techniques such as maceration (MAC), Soxhlet extraction (SOX), ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE), and PLE were compared, and both the extraction temperature (50, 105, and 160 degrees C) and the extraction time (8, 19, and 30 min), which are the two main factors for PLE, were optimized with a central composite design to obtain the highest extraction efficiency. The extraction solvent (90% ethanol/water) could adequately extract the functional components from C. vulgaris. PLE showed higher extraction efficiencies than MAC, SOX, and UAE. Temperature was the key parameter having the strongest influence on the extraction of carotenoids and chlorophylls from chlorella. In addition, high heat treatment (>110 degrees C) by PLE minimized the formation of pheophorbide a, a harmful chlorophyll derivative. These results indicate that PLE may be a useful extraction method for the simultaneous extraction of carotenoids and chlorophylls from C. vulgaris.

To facilitate the utilization of fucoxanthin (FX), a valuable marine carotenoid, in the food industry, FX-loaded casein nanoparticles (FX-CN) and chitosan-coated FX-CN (FX-CS-CN) were developed using the FX-enriched fraction from Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Two nanoscale particles (237 ± 13 nm for FX-CN and 277 ± 26 nm for FX-CN-CN) with spherical and smooth surfaces showed over 71% encapsulation efficiency and polydispersity index (PDI) value of 0.31-0.39 in water. Owing to the chitosan coating, FX-CS-CN showed a positive zeta potential (24.00 mV), whereas that of FX-CN was negative (-12.87 mV). In vitro simulated digestion demonstrated better FX bioaccessibility from the nanoparticles versus P. tricornutum powder (Pt-powder) and from FX-CN versus FX-CS-CN. However, in C57BL/6 mice, fucoxanthinol absorption to the blood circulation was two times higher for FX-CS-CN versus FX-CN, possibly due to increased retention or adsorption to mucin by the cationic biopolymer in the chitosan-coated particles. These results demonstrate that FX-CS-CN can enable the application of FX, with improved bioavailability and water dispersibility, in the food industry.

Fucoxanthin (FX), a marine carotenoid found in macroalgae and microalgae, exhibits several beneficial effects to health. The anti-obesity activity of FX is well documented, but FX has not been mass-produced or applied extensively or commercially because of limited availability of raw materials and complex extraction techniques. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of standardized FX powder (Phaeodactylum extract (PE)) developed from microalga Phaeodactylum tricornutum as a commercial functional food. The effects of PE on adipogenesis inhibition in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and anti-obesity in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6J mice were evaluated. PE and FX dose-dependently decreased intracellular lipid contents in adipocytes without cytotoxicity. In HFD-fed obese mice, PE supplementation for six weeks decreased body weight, organ weight, and adipocyte size. In the serum parameter analysis, the PE-treated groups showed attenuation of lipid metabolism dysfunction and liver damage induced by HFD. In the liver, uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) upregulation and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) downregulation were detected in the PE-treated groups. Additionally, micro computed tomography revealed lower fat accumulation in PE-treated groups compared to that in the HFD group. These results indicate that PE exerts anti-obesity effects by inhibiting adipocytic lipogenesis, inducing fat mass reduction and decreasing intracellular lipid content, adipocyte size, and adipose weight.