Colonization by diatoms and antirheumatic activity of thermal mud

✍ Scribed by Claudio Tolomio; Cristina Ceschi-Berrini; Emanuela Moschin; Lauro Galzigna

• Book ID: 101281907
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 137 KB
• Volume: 17
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0263-6484
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0844(199903)17:1<29::aid-cbf808>3.0.co;2-4

✦ Synopsis

We have identi®ed diatoms among other thermophilic microorganisms as the main agents for the colonization of thermal mud resulting in a `maturation' which renders the mud suitable to be used for mud-pack treatment of osteoarthrosis patients. The main eects of the diatom growth are the progressive enrichment of mud extracts in chlorophyll a parallel to the building up of a sulfoglycolipid endowed with an anti-in¯ammatory action. The sulfoglycolipid was also produced by diatoms isolated from the mud and cultivated in vitro.