Physico‐Chemical Characterisation of Lipids from Mytilus galloprovincialis (L.) and Rapana venosa and their Healing Properties on Skin Burns

Abstract

Black Sea molluscs and gastropods are the most studied organisms from the Romanian littoral zone. In particular, those from the Mytilidae species are of great interest because biochemical investigations have shown that they can be sources of biological active substances which can have different applications (e.g. food additives). We report here the extraction of lipids from two different species of molluscs (Mytilus galloprovincialis L., Mediterranean mussel) and gastropods (Rapana venosa, hard-shell clam). The extracts were evaluated in terms of antioxidant and composition properties and their healing properties were tested on skin burns in Wistar rats. Our studies proved that the two lipid extracts contained a relatively complex distribution of compounds, in terms of characteristic indices, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and vitamins E and D. The presence of such compounds rendered the extracts very efficient in healing induced skin burns in Wistar rats. The histological analysis showed a reduction in the time of healing (12-13 and 13-15 days for the Mytilus galloprovincialis (L.) Rapana venosa extracts, respectively) compared to 20-22 for untreated animals, based on results from tissues and blood samples. Our investigations have been proved to be promising in terms of future potential applications of the extracts as skin-care products, cosmetics and/or pharmaceutical preparations owing to their dermorestitutive properties.

Nutritional evaluation of aquaculture mussels (M. galloprovincialis) from the Black Sea, Bulgaria

“…Regardless of the mussel farm location all samples showed significantly higher n-3 PUFAs (62-66% of total PUFA) compared to n-6 PUFA levels. These results are similar to the data presented by Badiu et al [24] and Dernekbasi et al [3] for the Black Sea mussels.…”

“…An increase in the human dietary n-3/n-6 PUFA ratio is essential for preventing coronary heart disease by reducing plasma lipids and the risk of cancer [29,30]. In the present study this ratio ranged from 1.60 to 1.90 and was found similar to earlier published results for the Black Sea mussels [3,15,24,25]. The recommended values of PUFA/SFA ratio by the Department of Health (1994) [31] are higher than 0.45.…”

“…These results are similar to Zlatanos [23] and Dernekbasi et al [3] investigations on farmed Mediterranean and Black Sea mussels. In contrast, Orban et al [22] and Badiu et al [24] find higher EPA than DHA levels in wild black mussels from the Adriatic, the Tyrrhenian and the Romanian Black Sea coasts. The observed deflections and variations of LC n-3 PUFA contents may be related to the type of food available and ingested by the mollusks and the conversion of EPA to DHA.…”

“…Our results are in agreement with these reported by Orban and Zlatanos. A deflection of this pattern (SFA> PUFA >MUFA) is presented by Badiu et al for wild mussel samples from the Baia Mamaia ZonePark, Constanta (the Black Sea) and cape Galata (the Bulgarian Black Sea) [24,25]. It is known that temperature and food availability are the two most important factors regulating the growth of the marine bivalve mollusks [26].…”

Assessment of Proximate and Bioactive Lipid Composition of Black Sea Mussels (M. galloprovincialis) from Bulgaria

“…Our results are in agreement with the above mentioned authors. A deflection of this pattern (SFA > PUFA >MUFA) was presented by Badiu et al [27] for wild mussel samples from the Baia Mamaia Zone-Park, Constanza (the Black Sea), and Cape Galata (the Bulgarian Black Sea) [28]. It is known that temperature and food availability are two of the most important factors regulating the growth of the marine bivalve mollusks.…”