Navarro, FranciscoToimil, AlbertoRamirez, SaraMontero, YinaLuis Fuentes, JuanPerona, Javier S.Angel Castano, MiguelPasaro, RosarioVega, Jose M.Vilchez, Carlos2023-02-122023-02-122020-10-060921-8971http://hdl.handle.net/10668/18642Biomass of the acidophilic green algaCoccomyxa onubensismay be used as a food source for animals without collateral toxic effects, as diet supplemented the microalga has significant hypoglycemic and hypocholesterolemic effects on healthy animals. Rats were fed for 108 days with a high-fat diet, and at the end of the experiment, they were overweight and had significantly increased serum levels of glucose (2.0-fold), total cholesterol (1.6-fold), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (7.7-fold). The supplement ofC. onubensispowder (6.25% w/w dry weight) in the high-fat diet significantly protected the rats against cardiovascular risks by reducing the serum levels of glucose (38.47%), total cholesterol (22.65%), and LDL-cholesterol (26.70%). The protective effects of the microalga were comparable with that of 10 mg/kg body weight per day of atorvastatin. The high-fat diet decreased both omega-3 eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in the brain tissue of rats; however,C. onubensispowder could not restrict these changes. Simultaneously, the high-fat diet increased the levels of both palmitic and arachidonic (omega-6) acids in the telencephalon tissue of rats; this was prevented when microalga biomass was used in the diet of rats.enAtorvastatinCoccomyxa onubensisChlorophyceaePolyunsaturated fatty acidsHypercholesterolemiaHyperglycemiaRat metabolic syndromeLipid-metabolismMicroalgaeAlgaeAcidsFoodCholesterolSupplementsCognitionPlasmaBrainresearch articleopen access10.1007/s10811-020-02280-41573-5176https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/221620/4/PostP_2020_JPhycology_acidophylic.pdf575747400001