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.

Types: Fellowships
Member States: Portugal
Diseases: Neurodegenerative disease in general
Years: 2016
Database Categories: N/A
Database Tags: N/A

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