Antibacterial Activity of Some Selected Marine Macro-algae from Rameswaram Coastal Region, India

Marine algae are known as source of bioactive secondary metabolites. Twenty macroalgae were collected from Mandapam cost, Gulf of Mannar, Rameswaram were tested against two-gram negative bacteria’s using agar well diffusion method. The following species were used in the current study include seven species in Chlorophyta (Caulerpa peltata, Ulva lactuca, Halimeda gracilis , Chaetomorpha aerea, Cladophora vagabunda, Enteromorpha flexuosa, Halimida macroloba), seven in Phaeophyta (Sargassum cinereum, Padina boergesenii, Sargassum cristaefolium, Turbinaria decurrens, Turbinaria conoides, Hydroclathrus clathratus, Lobophora variegate) and six in Rhodophyta (Hypnea spicefera, Solieria robusta, Porphyra indica, Ceramium rubrum, Gelidiella acerosa Gracilaria edulis). They were air-dried thoroughly and powdered using a grinder. Powdered algae were extracted using solvents such as water, ethanol and methanol. In the present study ethanol extract was found to be excellent antibacterial activity from macroalgae. Among the selected Twenty different macroalgae the red algae (Rhodophyta) showed the higher antibacterial activity followed by brown (Phaeophyta) and green (Chlorophyta) against the tested two selective negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae). This finding supports the view that algal extracts are a reliable source of bioactive compounds for upcoming medication development.