Sterol profile of Neobenedenia melleni, a marine ectoparasite fish.

Molecular and biochemical parasitology 2021 Nov

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Neobenedenia melleni, a marine fish ectoparasite, is responsible for considerable losses in the mariculture industry. In maintaining the parasite's homeostasis, sterols are structural and functional lipids that perform vital functions. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of biosynthesis and the uptake of sterols can reveal potential pharmacological targets. The objective of this work was thereby to characterize the N. melleni sterols. The most abundant sterol found was cholesterol in either its free (47.48 ± 15.93 %) or esterified form. However, its precursors, squalene (3.53 ± 0.92 %) and desmosterol (0.25 ± 0.03 %), were also found, suggesting the uptake of these intermediates from hosts or an unusual active pathway of sterol biosynthesis, which can be further explored as pharmacological targets. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Citation

Rodrigo César Fernandes Barbosa, Felipe Schwahofer Landuci, Marcia Cristina Campos de Oliveira, Aurea Echevarria, Elisa Cavalcante Pereira, Beatriz Castelar, Marcelo Duarte Pontes, Eduardo Caio Torres-Santos, Valter Viana Andrade-Neto. Sterol profile of Neobenedenia melleni, a marine ectoparasite fish. Molecular and biochemical parasitology. 2021 Nov;246:111414