Name of Fellow


MARIA DE FÁTIMA GOMES FERNANDES

Institution


Funder


FCT

Contact information of fellow


Country


Portugal

Title of project/programme


Seaweeds from Portuguese coast: Promising therapeutics against neurodegenerative disorders

Source of funding information


FCT

Total sum awarded (Euro)


€ 107,640

Start date of award


01/01/14

Total duration of award in years


6.0

The project/programme is most relevant to:


Neurodegenerative disease in general

Keywords


Research Abstract


Biodiversity within red, green and brown macroalgae offers the possibility to find a wide variety of natural compounds with high impact in food science, pharmaceutical industry and public health. In spite the Portuguese coast being home to a great diversity of seaweed, most of them are not yet studied.
The challenge proposed is the study of seaweed species found in northern Portugal coast wild or cultivated for possible application in the treatment/prevention of neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s (PD) and Alzheimer’s (AD) diseases. Different extracts/fractions and compounds from seaweeds will be characterized by chromatographic techniques and evaluated in vitro concerning their antioxidant capacity against oxygen and nitrogen reactive species, which can be in the genesis of the neurodegeneration, and their ability to inhibit a battery of enzymes related with PD and AD. The most promising ones will be further tested in neuronal cells to assess their neuroprotection properties and respective mechanisms.

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