In vitro antiplasmodial activity of ethanolic extracts of seaweed macroalgae against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plasmodium falciparum</Emphasis>

Malaria is a major health problem in many developing countries. The drugs resistant Plasmodium falciparum causes the most virulent form of malaria in humans and it is described as a public health disaster causing increased morbidity and mortality. Thirteen seaweeds species which belong to four different families (Rhodomelaceae, Cladophoraceae, Ulvaceae, and Caulerpaceae) were collected from Mandapam coastal area and the seaweeds extracts were tested for in vitro antiplasmodial activity against P. falciparum. Among them, Caulerpa toxifolia (IC₅₀ 5.06 μg·ml⁻¹) showed potential antiplasmodial activity than other seaweeds extracts and it can be comparable with the positive control artemether (IC₅₀ 4.09 μg·ml⁻¹). Caulerpa peltata (IC₅₀ 16.69 μg·ml⁻¹) also exhibited good antiplasmodial activity and the IC₅₀ value is lesser than the positive control chloroquine (IC₅₀ 19.59 μg·ml⁻¹). Statistical analysis reveals that significant in vitro antiplasmodial activity (P < 0.05) was observed between the concentrations and time of exposure. The chemical injury to erythrocytes was also carried out and it shows that no morphological changes in erythrocytes by the ethanolic extract of seaweeds extracts after 48 h of incubation. The in vitro antiplasmodial activity might be due to the presence of sugars, proteins, and phenols in the ethanolic extracts of seaweeds. It is concluded from the present study that, the ethanolic extracts of seaweeds of C. toxifolia and C. peltata possesses lead compounds for development of antiplasmodial drugs.     

Mangrove plants as a source of lead compounds for the development of new antiplasmodial drugs from South East coast of India

Malaria is the world's leading killer among the infectious diseases. The treatment of malaria is mystified by the challenges of widespread resistance of the malaria parasites to cheap and affordable antimalarial drugs. The present study was made in an attempt to identify the in vitro antiplasmodial activity against mangrove plant parts. (Avicennia marina, Acanthus ilicifolius, Bruguiera cylindrica, Excoecaria agallocha, Rhizophora apiculata, and Rhizophora mucronata mangrove plant extracts exhibited in vitro antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum). Of the selected mangrove plant parts, the bark extract of A. marina exhibited minimum concentration of inhibitory activities IC(50) 49.63 μg.ml(-1). The leaf extract of A. marina, the hypocotyl extract of B. cylindrica, the leaf extract of E. agallocha, the flower extract of R. mucronata, and the hypocotyl extract of R. apiculata showed IC(50) values between 50 and 100 μg.ml(-1). Statistical analysis reveals that significant antiplasmodial activity (P<0.05) was observed between the concentrations and time of exposure. The chemical injury to erythrocytes was also carried out, and it shows that there were no morphological changes in erythrocytes by the ethanolic extract of mangrove plants after 48 h of incubation. The in vitro antiplasmodial activity might be due to the presence of alkaloids, carboxylic acids, coumarins, saponins, flavonoids, xanthoproteins, tannins, phenols, sugars, resins, steroids, and proteins in the ethanolic extracts of mangrove plants. It is concluded from the present study that the ethanolic extracts of mangrove plant parts of A. marina possess lead compounds for the development of antiplasmodial drugs.     

In vitro antiplasmodial effect of ethanolic extracts of traditional medicinal plant Ocimum species against Plasmodium falciparum

ObjectiveTo identify the possible antiplasmodial compounds from leaf, stem, root and flower extracts of Ocimum canum (O. canum), Ocimum sanctum (O. sanctum) and Ocimum basilicum (O. basilicum).MethodsThe O. canum, O. sanctum and O. basilicum were collected from Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu and the extraction was carried out in ethanol. The filter sterilized extracts (100, 50, 25, 12.5, 6.25 and 3.125 μg/mL) of leaf, stem, root and flower extracts of O. canum, O. sanctum and O. basilicum were tested for antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum). The potential extracts were also tested for their phytochemical constituents.ResultsThe leaf extract of O. sanctum showed excellent antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ 35.58 μg/mL) followed by leaf extract of O. basilicum (IC₅₀ 43.81 μg/mL). The leaf extract of O. canum, root extracts of O. sanctum and O. basilicum, the stem and flower extracts of all the three tested Ocimum species showed IC₅₀ values between 50 and 100 μg/mL. Statistical analysis reveals that, significant antiplasmodial activity (P <0.01) was observed between the concentrations and time of exposure. The chemical injury to erythrocytes was also carried out and it shows that, there were no morphological changes in erythrocytes by the ethanolic extract of O. canum, O. sanctum and O. basilicum. The in vitro antiplasmodial activity might be due to the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, triterpenoids, proteins, resins, steroids and tannins in the ethanolic extracts of tested plants.ConclusionsThe ethanolic leaf extracts of O. sanctum possess lead compounds for the development of antiplasmodial drugs.     

Isolation,Screening and Evaluation of Antifouling Activity of Mangrove Associated Bacterium,Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis RG

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - In the present study, an attempt has been made to explore the antifouling activity of bacterial strains...     

Purification and Characterization of Halophilic Organic Solvent Tolerant Protease from Marine Bacillus sp. APCMST-RS7 and Its Antioxidant Potentials

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - Halophilic organic solvent tolerant proteolytic bacterium was isolated from the marine sediment of...     

Purification and Characterization of Halophilic Alkaline Lipase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Halobacillus</Emphasis> sp.

An extracellular lipase produced by marine fish intestinal isolate Halobacillus sp. AP-MSU 8 was purified and characterized. The lipase was purified to homogeneity using ammonium sulphate precipitation, DEAE-Sepharose anion exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-75 gel filtration chromatography. The overall purification protocols resulted in 25 % yield of lipase with 10.6-fold. The SDS-PAGE (12 %) analysis of purified lipase resulted in the molecular mass of the purified lipase as 25-kDa. The optimum pH and temperature required for maximum activity of purified lipase was 9.0 and 40 °C respectively. Also, this lipase is halo tolerant and requires 2.5 M NaCl for maximum activity. The activity of the purified lipase was more in the presence of BaCl₂ and MgSO₄, and in contrast the enzyme activity was totally inhibited in the presence of ZnSO₄ and ZnCl₂. The surfactants such as polyethylene glycol and Tween 20 enhanced the lipase activity. Likewise 10 % concentration of organic solvents such as benzene and acetone stimulated the lipase activity, whereas at 20 % concentration all the tested solvents inhibited the lipase activity.     

In vitro antiplasmodial activity of ethanolic extracts of mangrove plants from South East coast of India against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum

Malaria is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in the world. Treatment for malaria is commonly inadequate due to the lack of quality assured effective drugs. The effectiveness of these drugs is declining at an ever accelerating rate, with consequent increase in malaria related morbidity and mortality. The newest antiplasmodial drug from plants is needed to overcome this problem. Numerous mangroves and mangal associates are used as folklore medicine to treat various human diseases. The mangrove plant species are a good source of potential bioactive entities which exhibits many therapeutic properties. The present study was carried out to test the antiplasmodial activity of five mangrove plant species distributed along the South East coast of India. Bruguiera cylindrica, Ceriops decandra, Lumnitzera racemosa, Rhizophora apiculata, and Rhizophora mucronata mangrove plant extracts exhibited in vitro antiplasmodial activity against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum. Of which, the ethanolic bark extract of R. mucronata exhibited high antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ = 62.18 μg.ml⁻¹). Statistical analysis reveals that, significant antiplasmodial activity (P < 0.05) was observed between the concentrations and time of exposure. The chemical injury to erythrocytes was also carried out and it shows that no morphological differences in erythrocytes by the ethanolic extract of mangrove plants after 48 h of incubation. The screening for phytochemical constituents in the mangrove plants were carried out and it reveals that, the presence of alkaloids, triterpenes, flavonoids, tannins, catachin, anthroquinone, phenols, sugars, and proteins. This study shows that the mangrove plants had a source of lead compounds for the development of new drugs for the treatment of malaria.     

Bioaccumulation of TBT and Its Cellular Toxic Effects on the Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - To test the toxic effects of tributyltin (TBT), Macrobrachium rosenbergii were exposed to three concentrations of TBT viz. 10&nbsp;ng/L,...     

In vitro antiplasmodial activity of ethanolic extracts of South Indian medicinal plants against Plasmodium falciparum

ObjectiveTo explore the antiplasmodial potential ofCatharanthus roseus L (C. roseus), Coccinea grandis (C. grandis), Thevetia peruviana (T. peruviana), Prosopis juliflora (P. juliflora), Acacia nilotica (A. nilotica), Azadirachta indica (A. indica) (Abr. Juss) and Morinda pubescens (M. pubescens).MethodsThe C. roseus L, C. grandis, T. peruviana, P. juliflora, A. nilotica, A. indica (Abr. Juss) and M. pubescens were collected from Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu, India and the extraction was carried out in ethanol. The filter sterilized extracts (100, 50, 25, 12.5, 6.25 and 3.125 μg/mL) were tested for antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum. The phytochemical constituents in the potential extracts were also detected.ResultsOf the selected plants species, the bark extract of A. indica (Abr. Juss) showed excellent antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ 29.77 μg/mL) followed by leaf extract of A. indica (Abr. Juss) (IC₅₀47.20 μg/mL) and leaf extract of C. roseus L (IC₅₀49.63 μg/mL). The leaf, bark and flower extracts of P. juliflora showed IC₅₀values of more than 100 μg/mL. Statistical analysis reveals significant antiplasmodial activity (P<0.01) between the concentrations and time of exposure. Additionally, no chemical injury was found in the erythrocytes incubated with the ethanolic extract of all the tested plants. The in vitro antiplasmodial activity might be due to the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, carbohydrates, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, triterpenoids, proteins and tannins in the ethanolic extracts of the tested plants.ConclusionsThe ethanolic bark extracts of A. indica (Abr. Juss) possess lead compounds for the development of antiplasmodial drugs.     

Seaweeds as a source of lead compounds for the development of new antiplasmodial drugs from South East coast of India

The problems of resistant lines of Plasmodium falciparum are escalating. Twelve seaweeds species belong to five different families (Sargassaceae, Gracilariaceae, Hypneaceae, Corallinaceae and Halimedaceae) were collected from Mandapam coastal area, and the seaweeds extracts were tested for in vitro antiplasmodial activity against P. falciparum. Among the tested seaweeds, Gracilaria verrucosa (IC₅₀ 5.55 μg.ml⁻¹) and Hypnea espera (IC₅₀ 8.94 μg.ml⁻¹) showed good antiplasmodial activity, and these results are comparable with positive controls such as artemether (IC₅₀ 4.09 μg.ml⁻¹) and chloroquine (IC₅₀ 19.59 μg.ml⁻¹), respectively. Turbinaria conoides, Sargassum myriocystem, Hypnea valentiae and Jania rubens extracts showed IC₅₀ values between 5 to 50 μg.ml⁻¹. Sargassum sp., Turbinaria decurrens and Halimeda gracilis extracts showed IC₅₀ values between 50 to 100 μg.ml⁻¹. Gracilaria corticata, Jania adherens and Halimeda opuntia extracts showed IC₅₀ value of more than 100 μg.ml⁻¹. Statistical analysis reveals that significant in vitro antiplasmodial activity (P < 0.05) was observed between the concentrations and time of exposure. The chemical injury to erythrocytes was also carried out, and it shows that no morphological changes in erythrocytes by the ethanolic extract of seaweeds extracts after 48 h of incubation. The in vitro antiplasmodial activity might be due to the presence of sugars, proteins, phenols and carboxylic acid in the ethanolic extracts of seaweeds. It is concluded from the present study that the ethanolic extracts of seaweeds of G. verrucosa and Hypnea espera possess lead compounds for development of antiplasmodial drugs.