Study of novel UV absorbing compounds in Cyanobacteria and characterisation of their photochemical properties Paula Martin De Prado 1,2 , Prof Vas Stavros 2 , Dr Chris Corre 1,2 , Dr Rich Puxty 1 1 School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK, 2 Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, UK Ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun − particularly UVA radiation, with wavelengths between 315 and 400 nm− can be harmful to humans, causing sunburn and DNA damage resulting in skin cancer1. UVA radiation can also impair other organisms 2 , which develop strategies to avoid this damage. Some of these organisms, including photosynthetic cyanobacteria, produce a range of small UV-absorbing molecules called mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) as a protection mechanism against UV radiation. These molecules absorb UV radiation between 310 nm and 362 nm and could be potentially used as sunscreens for humans, substituting some of the currently used chemical sunscreens that can be toxic for the environment 3 . The main goal of this project is to use cyanobacterial strains Chlorogloeopsis fritschii PCC 69124 and PCC 9212 to produce and characterise novel MAAs that could be used in sunscreen formulations. To date, two known MAAs (mycosporine-glycine and shinorine) and two unknown UV-absorbing molecules have been extracted from C. fritschii, and some stability assays have been carried out before scaling up and purifying the novel MAAs for structural elucidation. References 1. Holick, M. F., Biological Effects of Sunlight, Ultraviolet Radiation, Visible Light, Infrared Radiation and Vitamin D for Health. Anticancer Res 2016,36(3), 1345-1356. 2. Danovaro, R., et al. Sunscreens cause coral bleaching by promoting viral infections. Environ Health Perspect 2008,116(4), 441-447. 3. Rosic, N. N., Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids: Making the Foundation for Organic Personalised Sunscreens. Mar Drugs 2019,17(11), 638-655. 4. Portwich, A.; Garcia-Pichel, F., Ultraviolet and osmotic stresses induce and regulate the synthesis of mycosporines in the cyanobacterium Chlorogloeopsis PCC 6912. Arch Microbiol 1999,172, 187-192.
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