GC-MS Analysis of Bioactive Compounds and Hosttoxicity Studies of Azolla caroliniana Symbiotic with the Cyanobacterium Anabaena azollae

Abstract

Objective: The present research work was conducted to do the gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the water fern, Azolla caroliniana symbiotic with the cyanobacterium Anabaena azollae, along with in vitro host toxicity testing to check its toxicity level. Materials and methods: The GC-MS analysis of the methanol extract of A. caroliniana was carried out using a GC-MS instrument and in vitro host toxicity testing of A. caroliniana extract was carried out with cultured lymphocytes from human umbilical cord blood. Results: It was evident that only one phytochemical, 3-o-methyld-glucose with retention time 16.581 min and a peak area of 91.89% as the major phytochemical was present in methanolic extract of the fern, while the rest 7 of the total 8 chemicals namely (with peak area values), '2-butanone, 3-methoxy-3-methyl' (0.865%), '2,2-dimethyl propionic acid, cyclopentyl ester' (0.670%), 'butane, 1-bromo-2-methyl' (0.398%), '2-hexen-1-ol,2-ethyl' (0.269%), '5-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl hexan-3-one' (0.212%), 'phthalic acid, ethyl pentyl ester' (0.21%), 'pentanoic acid, 2-methyl' (0.182%), were present in minor quantities. Host toxicity testing was done with in vitro cultured lymphocytes from human umbilical cord blood. The LC 25 values were 870.96 and 691.83 mg/L with the trypan blue and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, respectively by methanolic extract of A. caroliniana in cellular toxicity experiments, against the minimum inhibitory concentration values of 300 mg/L extract. During the assessment of nuclear toxicity, no comet was found in the cells grown with 0 to 1000 mg/L of the extract. Conclusion: The extract had neither cellular nor nuclear toxicity to cultured human lymphocytes.

Can Azolla filiculoides be a complementary feed resource for ecological intensification in small-scale fish farming? Biological effects on giant gourami (Osphronemus goramy)

“…The high content of carotene, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B12, beta carotenes) and phenolic and flavonoid components in Azolla is often suggested to explain its positive effects on immunity (e.g. Nayak and Padhy, 2017;Noor Nawaz et al, 2014).…”