Biological activity of the red alga Laurencia brandenii
Biological activity of the red algaLaurencia brandeniiThe marine red algaLaurencia brandeniicollected from the southwest coast of India (Indian Ocean) was extracted and fractioned using column chromatography. The individual fractions were evaluatedin vitrovia antimicrobial activity against six species of Microbial Type Culture Collection and three species of clinical human pathogens, antipest activity onSitophilus oryzae, maggoticidal activity against 2ndinstar larvae ofSarcophagasp. and termiticidal activity againstMicrotermes obesi.It was found that the fraction eluted using petroleum ether:chloroform (6:4) exhibited broader biological activities. The phyco-constituents of the active fraction were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The GC-MS profile of the active fraction revealed that the main constituent was octadecadienoic acid (49.75%) followed by n-hexadecanoic acid (14.24%), which might have a functional role in the biological activities. The overall activity profile envisages that these bioactive compounds fromL. brandeniicould be utilized as a renewable natural resource for the development of novel environmental-compatible formulations for the control of human pathogens, pests, termites and maggots.