Antioxidant efficacy of (−)-loliolide isolated from Sargassum horneri against AAPH-induced oxidative damage in Vero cells and zebrafish models in vivo

Seaweed-derived compounds are known to possess various biological activities. The present study evaluated the antioxidant potential of (−)-loliolide, a monoterpenoid isolated from Sargassum horneri in Vero cells and zebrafish models. (−)-Loliolide was purified from the chloroform fraction of an S. horneri methanol extract using high-performance centrifugal partition chromatography (HPCPC). HPCPC was found to be an effective method to isolate (−)-loliolide, yielding a high purity product. Electron spin resonance evaluation demonstrated that (−)-loliolide had significant alkyl radical scavenging activity (IC50: 0.043 ± 0.005 mg mL−1). In addition, our study showed that (−)-loliolide demonstrated dose-dependent protective effects for Vero cell viability against 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, (−)-loliolide reduced lipid peroxidation in AAPH-induced zebrafish embryos, while ameliorating the survival rate and cell death in a dose-dependent manner. These results reveal the antioxidant potential of (−)-loliolide. Future studies highlighting the potential applications of S. horneri in manufacturing functional food ingredients are required.