Chemical composition of extracts from chaetomorpha linum (Miller) kütz. A potential use in the cosmetic industry

The chemical composition of extracts from the green alga Chaetomorpha linum (Miller) Kutz., growing wild in Corsican pond, were investigated by GC-MS (derivatisation) and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Eighteen compounds have been identified from both pentane and ethyl acetate extract. Fatty acids, mainly saturated (SFA) are the main compounds from the pentane extract, whereas components of the sterols family are major compounds from the ethyl acetate extract. Besides usual fatty acids founds in green alga extract, we report herein the identification of unusual compounds. Indeed 12 compounds (3, 7-18) were identified for the first time in a Chaetomorpha species. Among them three diterpenes bearing the abietane skeleton (abietic acid 12, dehydro-abietic acid 13 and methyl dehydro-abietate 14) were identified for the first time from a marine source. This chemical composition could be a chemotaxonomic characteristic from the linum species found in the Corsican area.