Cardiometabolic effects on obese mice of the Mediterranean seagrass Cymodocea nodosa hydroalcoholic extract

Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Asch. (Cymodoceaceae) is a dioecious medium-size, fast-growing seagrass colonizing coastal waters of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic Ocean (Garrido et al., 2013). Due to its high plasticity, it can colonize different substrates and environments, tolerating salinity fluctuations and climate changes (Chefaoui et al., 2015). Flavonoids, steroids, polyamines, diarylheptanoids, and sulfated polysaccharides with interesting potential biological activity (Ben Abdallah Kolsi et al., 2017) have been previously extracted from its plant tissue (Smadi et al., 2017). This study aims to investigate the phytochemical profile of a leaf hydroalcoholic extract of C. nodosa collected in the Ligurian Sea (Italy) and its activity in a murine model of cardiometabolic disorder. UHPLC coupled to an Orbitrap-based HR MS led to the characterization of phenolic bioactive substances including flavonoid glycosides (quercetin and isorhamnetin derivatives) and chicoric acid as the most represented compound (1.58 ± 0.3 mg/g fresh weight). Mice fed with an obesogenic diet were supplemented with the extract for 9 weeks and at the end of the experimental protocol a containment of body weight gain (increase of 32±2 vs 49.6 ± 8.7%) and an improvement of glycaemic profile, compared to animals supplemented with placebo, were observed. Glucose levels were 115±4 vs 138 ± 10 mg/dl and HbA1c levels were 32±0.4 vs 29.8±0.8 mmol/mol. These results suggest that the extract obtained has beneficial effects in the prevention of metabolic disorders associated with obesogenic diet. Further experiments will be carried out to explore the mechanisms involved in this beneficial profile. References Ben Abdallah Kolsi, R., Ben Salah, H., Jardak, N., Chaaben, R., El Feki, A., Rebai, T., Jamoussi, K., Allouche, N., Belghith, H., Belghith, K., 2017. Effects of Cymodocea nodosa extract on metabolic disorders and oxidative stress in alloxan-diabetic rats. Biomed. Pharmacother. 89, 257–267. Chefaoui, R.M., Assis, J., Duarte, C.M., Serrão, E.A., 2015. Large-scale prediction of seagrass distribution integrating landscape metrics and environmental factors: The case of Cymodocea nodosa (Mediterranean–Atlantic). Estuar. Coast 39, 123–137. Garrido, M., Lafabrie, C., Torre, F., Fernandez, C., Pasqualini, V., 2013. Resilience and stability of Cymodocea nodosa seagrass meadows over the last four decades in a Mediterranean lagoon. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 130, 89–98.