Journal of Pharmacological Reports
Open Access

Abstract

In Vitro Antioxidant Properties of Edible Marine Algae Sargassum swartzii, Ulva fasciata and Chaetomorpha antennina of Kerala Coast

Muraleedhara Kurup G and Mariya Jose G

Oxidative stress is reported to be the main cause of various life style diseases. This stress is due to the imbalance of oxidants and anti-oxidants. Seaweeds form the richest renewable source of ample bioactive compounds that promote them as a vital candidate in therapeutics, especially for drug development. Among the seaweed born macromolecules, the sulfated polysaccharides from brown, green and red algae were reported to have antioxidant activities, despite of their structural and nutritional significance. In the current study, the sulfated polysaccharides were isolated from three marine algae, Sargassum swartzii, Ulva fasciata and Chaetomorpha antennina. The carbohydrate content in the three edible algae was found to be 12.9%, 12.3% and 12.7% respectively. Of the three, Sargassum swartzii contains high sulfate content, which might be responsible for its better bioactivity. The antioxidant capability of the polysaccharides was determined by using standard in vitro assays and was found to be good in scavenging hydrogen peroxide. However, the total antioxidant activity and reducing power were less effective. Among the three, Sargassum swartzii showed superior activity and can be a good candidate for antioxidant therapies.