Screening of Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of Freshwater and Marine Algae as a Prominent Natural Antibiotic Available in Bangladesh

Abstract

In Bangladesh, algae have not been adequately explored for their potential as a source of bioactive substances. So, present work provides the eligibility of algae commonly found in Bangladesh as a prominent natural antibiotic against various pathogens. In vitro screening of organic solvent extracts (methanol, ethanol and chloroform) of ten fresh water and marine algae showed antimicrobial activity carried out by disc diffusion method against two gram positive, four gram negative bacteria and one fungus. Marine algal species performed better than fresh water algal species. Green algae are more potent than red and brown algae. Ethanolic extracts are more effective than methanolic and chloroform extracts. Ulva lactuca and Chlorella sp. revealed the best activity among other algal species in all solvent forms. Spirogyra crassa showed very poor antibacterial activity where its antifungal activity was moderate. Escherichia coli was more resistant bacteria in a comparison to others because it showed totally resistant against some algae. Highest zone of inhibition (26 mm) was recorded for chloroform extract of Ulva lactuca against E. coli where chloroform extract of Dictyopteris membranacea didn't show any microbial activity. At the end, it was clear that almost all extracts of all algal species revealed antimicrobial activity against all pathogens. These results give an indication of the presence of promising antimicrobial compounds in the algal species under studied. Further phytochemical studies are needed to elucidate these compounds structures and activity for use algae as an alternative natural antibiotic against synthetic conventional antibiotics.

Antifungal Efficacy of Marine Macroalgae against Fungal Isolates from Bronchial Asthmatic Cases

“…In this study, an ethanolic fraction of U. prolifera exhibited inhibition zones (zone range: 16–17.3 mm) on tested fungi. The results agree with the findings of Chowdhury et al [ 28 ], who reported that the growth of C. albicans was inhibited (15 mm) by an ethanolic extract of Enteromorpha prolifera . Correspondingly, the antifungal activity of U. lactuca and U. fasciata studied by Shobier et al [ 29 ] against Aspergillus flavipes and C. albicans and found activities ranging from 10 to 32 mm.…”

“…On the contrary, organic solvents fractions obtained from U. lactuca showed no activity against C. albicans reported by Guedes et al [ 32 ]. In addition, A. spicifera had the lowest antifungal activity, in discrepancy with Pandian et al [ 33 ] and Chowdhury et al [ 28 ]. They reported that A. spicifera exhibited moderate antifungal activity against A. niger, Microsporum gypseum, and C. albicans .…”

Role of Cytokinins for Interactions of Plants With Microbial Pathogens and Pest Insects

“…Using cyanobacteria in composts have been described as promoting resistance towards pathogens in tomato, cotton and zucchini (Dukare et al, 2011;Prasanna et al, 2013;Babu et al, 2015;Roberti et al, 2015). Different extracts of microalgal compounds have been used in interaction with pathogens to induce resistance, and is some cases how the extracts hinder growth of different pathogens directly (Jaulneau et al, 2010;Galal et al, 2011;Chowdhury et al, 2015;Stadnik and Freitas, 2014).…”

Understanding Macroalgae: A Comprehensive Exploration of Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical, and Omics Dimensions

“…From Kappaphycus alvarezii , phenolic compounds, glycosides, and carbohydrates have been shown to have antibacterial effects on a variety of human pathogens [ 115 ]. Human pathogenic fungi, such as Aspergillus and Candida , showed resistance to the antifungal effects of methanolic extracts from Corallina mediterranea , Hypnea musciformis , and Laurencia papillosa [ 118 ]. A diterpene known as ‘Sphaerodactylomelol fraction 2′, recently discovered in S. coronopifolius , exhibited the most potent antifungal properties against Candida albicans [ 116 ].…”