Biology subjects

Dritsas, P.

Publications and source records attributed to Dritsas, P..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Poly-unsaturated Fatty Acids from Thamnidium elegans and Mortierella alpina Suppress Prostate Cancer Cells Proliferation and Migration

Thamnidium elegans and Mortierella alpina are two oleaginous fungi that belong to Mucoromycota that synthesize polyunsaturated fatty acids which are credited with multiple health benefits and possible anticancer properties. These fungi were cultivated on culture media with glucose or glycerol as a carbon source. After extracting the lipids, we transformed them into fatty acid lithium salts (FALS), which are water-soluble and absorbable mammalian cells, including DU-145 and PC-3 cancer cells. The two cell lines, both long-established prostate cancer models, were treated with FALS and indicated increased susceptibility to the lipid derivatives. The viability and proliferation rates were significantly reduced, as well as their migratory capabilities, which were significantly impaired compared to olive-oil-derived FALS, which were used as a control substance. We conclude that the FALS derivatives of microbial lipids from these organisms exhibit anticancer effects by suppressing the proliferation and migration of human prostate cancer cell lines.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Studies on the co-metabolism of glucose and glycerol in the fungus Umbelopsis isabellina

Over the past few years it is observed an increased interest for oleaginous microorganisms in the perspective to produce microbial oils of great commercial interest through the consumption of low/zero cost substrates. In this paper, the physiology of the fungus Umbelopsis isabellina growing on blends of glycerol and glucose was investigated. In all experiments the fungus completely consumed glucose and produced satisfactory quantities of biomass containing reserve lipids in high percentages. However, glycerol concentration in the growth medium was negatively correlated to glucose assimilation rate, mainly during the balanced-growth phase. Nevertheless, at high initial concentrations, glycerol was partially consumed and seemed to contribute positively to the suppression of lipid degradation. Following the discovery of this complex regulatory mechanism regarding glucose and glycerol co-assimilation, the activity of three key-enzymes namely aldolase, glycerol kinase and glycerol dehydrogenase, which are implicated in glycerol and glucose assimilation, was investigated. The experiments revealed a clear preference of the fungus for glucose over glycerol. On the other hand, storage polysaccharides are degraded instead of storage lipid at the late oleaginous phase for maintenance purpose. These new biochemical features will enable the design of appropriate growth media for the co-fermentation of these two substrates by U. isabellina with the aim to maximize lipid accumulation.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Enzymatic synthesis of fatty acid amides using microbial lipids as acyl group-donors and their biological activities

Fatty acid amides (FAAs) are of great interest due to their broad industrial applications. They can be synthesized enzymatically with many advantages over chemical synthesis. In this study, the fatty acid moieties of lipids of Cunninghamella echinulata ATHUM 4411, Umbelopsis isabellina ATHUM 2935, Nannochloropsis gaditana CCAP 849/5, Olive oil and an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrate were converted into their fatty acid methyl esters and used in the FAA (i.e. ethylene diamine amides) enzymatic synthesis, using lipases as biocatalysts. The FAA synthesis, monitored using in situ NMR, FT-IR and thin-layer chromatography, was catalyzed efficiently by the immobilized Candida rugosa lipase. The synthesized FAAs exhibited a significant antimicrobial activity, especially those containing oleic acid in high proportions (i.e. derived from Olive oil and U. isabellina oil), against several human pathogenic microorganisms, insecticidal activity against yellow fever mosquito, especially those of C. echinulata containing gamma linolenic acid, and anti-cancer properties against SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line, especially those containing EPA in their structures (i.e. EPA concentrate and N. gaditana oil). We conclude that FAAs can be efficiently synthesized using microbial oils of different fatty acid composition and used in specific biological applications.

biochemistry↗