Anti-Tuberculosis Evaluation of Bioactive Compounds from Marine Seaweeds

Abstract

Introduction: Marine seaweeds produce a variety of compounds with different biological activities, including anti-tuberculosis and antioxidant properties. The main aim of this study was to investigate the antituberculosis and antibacterial activity of the bioactive compounds present in the different seaweed extracts namely Padina gymnospora, Gracileria edulis, and Ulva fasciata which were collected from Rameshwaram, Mandapam region.

Methods: The seaweeds were extracted by soxhlet apparatus with ethanol and acetone solvent. The antituberculosis, antibacterial, and antioxidant assay of the crude extract were investigated using Microplate Alamar Blue Assay (MABA), DPPH, Superoxide radical scavenging activity, Nitric oxide radical inhibition assay, Total iron reducing power assay, and agar plate diffusion methods.

Results: From the three seaweed extracts, a high amount of total flavonoids was noted in acetone and ethanolic extract of U.fasciata (2.41± 0.01), and Total Phenol content was observed high in acetone and ethanolic extract of P.gymnospora (1.86 ± 0.56) and the elevated amount of Total Tannin content was observed in ethanolic extract of U.fasciata (1.89± 0.02) in mg CAE /g dry wt respectively. whereas acetone and ethanolic extract of P.gymnospora showed satisfactory antibacterial activity against all 5 pathogens which include Pseudomonas aeruginosa (29mm) and  Escherichia coli (31mm). And the antimycobacterial activities of all three extracts showed inhibition at 250 μg/ml and 500 μg/ml concentrations which were indicated by the color change after 24 hours of incubation post the addition of dye. Based on the above assays the acetone and ethanolic extract of P.gymnospora were chosen to study the Structural features through the IR spectra and major antioxidant and antimycobacterial compounds were identified using GC-MS analysis. The presence of Lupeol, n –hexadecanoic acid, and oleic acid could be one of the reasons for the antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-TB properties of the extract.
Conclusion: In the future, it can act as a promising antioxidant, anti-TB, and anticancer agent for upcoming applications in pharma industries.