Marine Green Alga Codium fragile Lipid Extract Promotes Erythrocyte Membrane Repair in Stress-Exposed Mice

Codium fragile (Suringar)Hariot, the green seaweed species belonging to the family Codiaceae,is one of the mass macrophyte species in the Pacific Region of theRussian Federation. The C. fragile totallipid content amounts 13.92 ± 0.22 mg per g of dry tissue, of which44% are glycolipids, 40% come from neutral lipids, while phospholipidsaccount for 16%. The content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in C. fragile lipid extract is over50% of the total fatty acids, of which ω-3 (36.2%) and ω-6 (17.8%)are predominant. Here, we studied the effects of the C. fragile lipid extract and Omega-3reference drug on biochemical and physiological parameters of erythrocytesin mice exposed to stress (vertical fixation by the scruff skinfold).Under the impact of stress, erythrocytes underwent alterations inboth their dimensional characteristics and membrane phospholipidprofiles, leading to changes in their permeability and lability,as well as impeding their circulation through the capillary bed.The endogenous antioxidant defense system in stress-exposed miceexperienced a considerable strain, as evidenced by an increase inthe malonic dialdehyde level, with a simultaneous decrease in plasmasuperoxide dismutase and antiradical activities. The administrationof the C. fragile lipid extractto stress-exposed mice entailed the restoration of the erythrocytemembrane lipid content, a decrease in the amount of lysophospholipids,and the normalization of the sphingomyelin/phosphatidylcholine ratio,which contributed to the recovery of erythrocyte dimensional characteristicsand osmotic resistance, as well as blood antioxidant system parameters.The pronounced stress- and membrane-protective effect of the C. fragile lipid extract was dueto the presence in its composition of a wide range of neutral andpolar lipids containing ω-3 and ω-6 PUFAs, which ensured a higheranti-stress efficacy of the algal extract compared to the Omega-3reference preparation.