{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,2]],"date-time":"2026-10-02T14:44:58Z","timestamp":1790952298752,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,9]],"date-time":"2021-11-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1636416000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001795","name":"University of Southern Queensland","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SRF-09"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SRF-09"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001795","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The microalgal genus Nannochloropsis has broad applicability to produce biofuels, animal feed supplements and other value-added products including proteins, carotenoids and lipids. This study investigated a potential role of N. oceanica in the reversal of metabolic syndrome. Male Wistar rats (n = 48) were divided into four groups in a 16-week protocol. Two groups were fed either corn starch or high-carbohydrate, high-fat diets (C and H, respectively) for the full 16 weeks. The other two groups received C and H diets for eight weeks and then received 5% freeze-dried N. oceanica in these diets for the final eight weeks (CN and HN, respectively) of the protocol. The H diet was high in fructose and sucrose, together with increased saturated and trans fats. H rats developed obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, fatty liver disease and left ventricular fibrosis. N. oceanica increased lean mass in CN and HN rats, possibly due to the increased protein intake, and decreased fat mass in HN rats. Intervention with N. oceanica did not change cardiovascular, liver and metabolic parameters or gut structure. The relative abundance of Oxyphotobacteria in the gut microbiota was increased. N. oceanica may be an effective functional food against metabolic syndrome as a sustainable protein source.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu13113991","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,9]],"date-time":"2021-11-09T21:39:07Z","timestamp":1636493947000},"page":"3991","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":36,"title":["Nannochloropsis oceanica as a Microalgal Food Intervention in Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Ryan","family":"du Preez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Functional Foods Research Group, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6461-8211","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marwan E.","family":"Majzoub","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Torsten","family":"Thomas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5464-3376","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sunil K.","family":"Panchal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Functional Foods Research Group, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lindsay","family":"Brown","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Functional Foods Research Group, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"104","article-title":"Microalgae: A potential plant for energy production","volume":"1","author":"Randrianarison","year":"2017","journal-title":"Geol. Ecol. Landsc."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1416","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biortech.2017.05.124","article-title":"A biorefinery for Nannochloropsis: Induction, harvesting, and extraction of EPA-rich oil and high-value protein","volume":"244","author":"Chua","year":"2017","journal-title":"Bioresour. Technol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ma, X.N., Chen, T.P., Yang, B., Liu, J., and Chen, F. (2016). Lipid production from Nannochloropsis. Mar. Drugs, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/md14040061"},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Jan, M., and Kazik, P. (2017). Nannochloropsis: Biology, Biotechnological Potential and Challenges, Nova Science Publishers, Inc."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2966","DOI":"10.1021\/jf0010376","article-title":"Biomass nutrient profiles of the microalga Nannochloropsis","volume":"49","year":"2001","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"249","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1008170915932","article-title":"Nannochloropsis (Eustigmatophyceae) as source of commercially valuable pigments","volume":"12","author":"Montero","year":"2000","journal-title":"J. Appl. Phycol."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103919","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jff.2020.103919","article-title":"Microalgae of the genus Nannochloropsis: Chemical composition and functional implications for human nutrition","volume":"68","author":"Zanella","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Funct. Foods"},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"Australian Government Department of Health (2021, May 26). The Biology of Nannochloropsis oceanica Suda & Miyashita (a Microalga), Available online: http:\/\/www.ogtr.gov.au\/internet\/ogtr\/publishing.nsf\/Content\/5DCF28AD2F3779C4CA257D4E001819B9\/$File\/Biology%20of%20Nannochloropsis%20oceanica%20(a%20microalga).pdf."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e01288-19","DOI":"10.1128\/MRA.01288-19","article-title":"Chromosome-scale genome assembly of two Australian Nannochloropsis oceanica isolates exhibiting superior lipid characteristics","volume":"8","author":"Brown","year":"2019","journal-title":"Microbiol. Resour. Announc."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ramos-Romero, S., Torrella, J.R., Pages, T., Viscor, G., and Torres, J.L. (2021). Edible microalgae and their bioactive compounds in the prevention and treatment of metabolic alterations. Nutrients, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu13020563"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tocher, D.R., Betancor, M.B., Sprague, M., Olsen, R.E., and Napier, J.A. (2019). Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, EPA and DHA: Bridging the gap between supply and demand. Nutrients, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu11010089"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Panchal, S.K., and Brown, L. (2021). Addressing the insufficient availability of EPA and DHA to meet current and future nutritional demands. Nutrients, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu13082855"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1483","DOI":"10.1007\/s40200-020-00681-3","article-title":"Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of the microalgae Nannochloropsis gaditana in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats","volume":"19","author":"Nacer","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Diabetes Metab. Disord."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1515\/bmc-2019-0004","article-title":"Antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities of Nannochloropsis oculata microalgae in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats","volume":"10","author":"Nasirian","year":"2019","journal-title":"Biomol. Concepts"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1041","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jnutbio.2012.07.014","article-title":"Effects of ALA, EPA and DHA in high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats","volume":"24","author":"Poudyal","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Nutr. Biochem."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"611","DOI":"10.1097\/FJC.0b013e3181feb90a","article-title":"High-carbohydrate, high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular remodeling in rats","volume":"57","author":"Panchal","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2146","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2017.02146","article-title":"Balancing herbal medicine and functional food for prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic diseases through modulating gut microbiota","volume":"8","author":"Lyu","year":"2017","journal-title":"Front. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"317","DOI":"10.1007\/s13679-019-00352-2","article-title":"Understanding the role of the gut microbiome and microbial metabolites in obesity and obesity-associated metabolic disorders: Current evidence and perspectives","volume":"8","author":"Vallianou","year":"2019","journal-title":"Curr. Obes. Rep."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Du Preez, R., Magnusson, M., Majzoub, M.E., Thomas, T., Praeger, C., Glasson, C.R.K., Panchal, S.K., and Brown, L. (2021). Brown seaweed Sargassum siliquosum as an intervention for diet-induced obesity in male Wistar rats. Nutrients, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu13061754"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Du Preez, R., Paul, N., Mouatt, P., Majzoub, M.E., Thomas, T., Panchal, S.K., and Brown, L. (2020). Carrageenans from the red seaweed Sarconema filiforme attenuate symptoms of diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats. Mar. Drugs, 18.","DOI":"10.3390\/md18020097"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Du Preez, R., Majzoub, M.E., Thomas, T., Panchal, S.K., and Brown, L. (2020). Caulerpa lentillifera (sea grapes) improves cardiovascular and metabolic health of rats with diet-induced metabolic syndrome. Metabolites, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/metabo10120500"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2672","DOI":"10.1039\/C7FO00409E","article-title":"Microalgae as healthy ingredients for functional food: A review","volume":"8","author":"Matos","year":"2017","journal-title":"Food Funct."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"359","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2015.00359","article-title":"Growth and lipid accumulation of microalgae from fluctuating brackish and sea water locations in South East Queensland\u2014Australia","volume":"6","author":"Duong","year":"2015","journal-title":"Front. Plant Sci."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gupta, V.K., Treichel, H., Shapaval, V.O., de Oliveira, L.A., and Tuohy, M.G. (2017). Chapter 1. Microalgae as a sustainable source of nutraceuticals. Microbial Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.","DOI":"10.1002\/9781119048961"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1083","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rser.2016.10.028","article-title":"Microalgae: An emerging source of energy based bio-products and a solution for environmental issues","volume":"72","author":"Katiyar","year":"2017","journal-title":"Renew. Sust. Energ. Rev."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"503","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biortech.2014.06.047","article-title":"Evaluation of the potential of 9 Nannochloropsis strains for biodiesel production","volume":"167","author":"Ma","year":"2014","journal-title":"Bioresour. Technol."},{"key":"ref_27","first-page":"1","article-title":"The biotechnological potential of Nannochloropsis","volume":"4","author":"Young","year":"2016","journal-title":"Perspect. Phycol."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kent, M., Welladsen, H.M., Mangott, A., and Li, Y. (2015). Nutritional evaluation of Australian microalgae as potential human health supplements. PLoS ONE, 10.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0118985"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"437","DOI":"10.1177\/1082013217700259","article-title":"Effect of microalgae incorporation on physicochemical and textural properties in wheat bread formulation","volume":"23","author":"Lara","year":"2017","journal-title":"Food Sci. Technol. Int."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"499","DOI":"10.1111\/ijfs.13609","article-title":"The use of Nannochloropsis sp. as a source of omega-3 fatty acids in dry pasta: Chemical, technological and sensory evaluation","volume":"53","author":"Steffolani","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.7324\/JAPS.2018.8607","article-title":"Evaluation of the pancreatoprotective effect of Nannochloropsis oculata extract against streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats","volume":"8","author":"Aboulthana","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Appl. Pharm. Sci."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"617","DOI":"10.1016\/j.toxrep.2015.03.008","article-title":"Safety assessment of the microalgae Nannochloropsis oculata","volume":"2","author":"Kagan","year":"2015","journal-title":"Toxicol. Rep."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4629189","DOI":"10.1155\/2020\/4629189","article-title":"Astaxanthin attenuates hypertensive vascular remodeling by protecting vascular smooth muscle cells from oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction","volume":"2020","author":"Chen","year":"2020","journal-title":"Oxid. Med. Cell. Longev."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Neumann, U., Derwenskus, F., Gille, A., Louis, S., Schmid-Staiger, U., Briviba, K., and Bischoff, S.C. (2018). Bioavailability and safety of nutrients from the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis oceanica and Phaeodactylum tricornutum in C57BL\/6 mice. Nutrients, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu10080965"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"k2179","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.k2179","article-title":"Role of the gut microbiota in nutrition and health","volume":"361","author":"Valdes","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Magne, F., Gotteland, M., Gauthier, L., Zazueta, A., Pesoa, S., Navarrete, P., and Balamurugan, R. (2020). The Firmicutes\/Bacteroidetes ratio: A relevant marker of gut dysbiosis in obese patients?. Nutrients, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu12051474"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gunstone, F. (1996). Fatty acids\u2014Nomenclature, structure, isolation and structure determination, biosynthesis and chemical synthesis. Fatty Acid and Lipid Chemistry, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4615-4131-8_1"},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.1186\/s12986-017-0218-y","article-title":"Markers of neuroprotection of combined EPA and DHA provided by fish oil are higher than those of EPA (Nannochloropsis) and DHA (Schizochytrium) from microalgae oils in Wistar rats","volume":"14","author":"Lopes","year":"2017","journal-title":"Nutr. Metab."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"96","DOI":"10.1186\/1475-2859-11-96","article-title":"Microalgal biofactories: A promising approach towards sustainable omega-3 fatty acid production","volume":"11","author":"Lim","year":"2012","journal-title":"Microb. Cell Fact."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Molino, A., Martino, M., Larocca, V., Di Sanzo, G., Spagnoletta, A., Marino, T., Karatza, D., Iovine, A., Mehariya, S., and Musmarra, D. (2019). Eicosapentaenoic acid extraction from Nannochloropsis gaditana using carbon dioxide at supercritical conditions. Mar. Drugs, 17.","DOI":"10.3390\/md17020132"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"De Jesus Raposo, M.F., De Morais, A.M., and De Morais, R.M. (2016). Emergent sources of prebiotics: Seaweeds and microalgae. Mar. Drugs, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/md14020027"},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1317","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biortech.2017.06.038","article-title":"Cell disruption and lipid extraction for microalgal biorefineries: A review","volume":"244","author":"Lee","year":"2017","journal-title":"Bioresour. Technol."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1875","DOI":"10.1002\/elps.201800122","article-title":"Development of green extraction processes for Nannochloropsis gaditana biomass valorization","volume":"39","author":"Pleite","year":"2018","journal-title":"Electrophoresis"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1016\/j.algal.2014.09.003","article-title":"Lipid productivity and cell wall ultrastructure of six strains of Nannochloropsis: Implications for biofuel production and downstream processing","volume":"6","author":"Beacham","year":"2014","journal-title":"Algal Res."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.1007\/s00449-018-2038-5","article-title":"Emerging techniques for cell disruption and extraction of valuable bio-molecules of microalgae Nannochloropsis sp.","volume":"42","author":"Zhang","year":"2019","journal-title":"Bioprocess Biosyst. Eng."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"142464","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2020.142464","article-title":"In-situ lipid and fatty acid extraction methods to recover viable products from Nannochloropsis sp.","volume":"748","author":"Brennan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sci. Total Environ."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"van Baak, M.A., and Mariman, E.C.M. (2019). Dietary strategies for weight loss maintenance. Nutrients, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu11081916"},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Segovia-Siapco, G., Khayef, G., Pribis, P., Oda, K., Haddad, E., and Sabate, J. (2019). Animal protein intake is associated with general adiposity in adolescents: The teen food and development study. Nutrients, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu12010110"},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"659","DOI":"10.1096\/fj.07-9574LSF","article-title":"Dose translation from animal to human studies revisited","volume":"22","author":"Nihal","year":"2008","journal-title":"FASEB J."}],"container-title":["Nutrients"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/13\/11\/3991\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T07:28:18Z","timestamp":1760167698000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/13\/11\/3991"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,9]]},"references-count":49,"journal-issue":{"issue":"11","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11]]}},"alternative-id":["nu13113991"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu13113991","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-6643"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-6643","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,9]]}}}