RT Journal Article
T1 Hidden inside desert rocks: Salinity triggers an increase in exopolysaccharides from endolithic cyanobacteria with anti-inflammatory potential
A1 Casero, María Cristina
A1 Velázquez, David
A1 Pereira, Adrián
A1 Tejedor, María del Mar
A1 García, Luis
A1 Quesada, Antonio
A1 Cirés, Samuel
AB Endolithic cyanobacteria thriving in rocks of deserts remain an unexplored source for the quest of novel bioproducts in extreme environments. In this work, 7 endolithic cyanobacteria from the polyextreme Atacama Desert, covering four genera and three lithic substrates, were investigated for the production of exopolysaccharides with anti-inflammatory potential. A moderate salinity (20 g NaCl L− 1 ) was tolerated by all strains, triggering a 3–9-fold increase in exopolysaccharides (EPS) yield in 4 of them that counteracted the growth decrease due to NaCl stress. EPS from all strains showed anti-elastase activity with inter-strain and inter-salinity variations. The moderate EPS productivity by Gloeocapsa sp. UAM572 (0.4 mg EPS L− 1 day− 1 ), elevated antielastase capacity of Chroococcidiopsis sp. UAM579 EPS (IC50 = 78 μg mL− 1 ) and the first biotechnological data of genus Pseudoacaryochloris, provide a promising foundation for potential applications of EPS from endolithic cyanobacteria in cosmetics and biomedicine, whose opportunities and challenges are discussed herein.
PB Elsevier
SN 2211-9264
YR 2024
FD 2024-12
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/126058
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/126058
LA eng
NO Casero, M. C., Velázquez, D., Pereira, A., Tejedor, M. d. M., García, L., Quesada, A., & Cirés, S. (2024). Hidden inside desert rocks: Salinity triggers an increase in exopolysaccharides from endolithic cyanobacteria with anti-inflammatory potential. Algal Research, 84. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ALGAL.2024.103817
NO This work was funded by Comunidad de Madrid and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid via LIPEPSTREM project [grant number SI3/PJI/ 2021-00461] and by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER, UE, via MERIDIAN project [grant number PID2022-136691NA-I00]. M. C. Casero is the recipient of a Juan de la Cierva-Formación postdoctoral grant [FJC2020-044126-I] funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.130 39/501100011033 and by European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR.
NO Comunidad de Madrid
NO Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
NO European Commission
DS Docta Complutense
RD 25 feb 2026