The authors report on the antibacterial activity of 11 algae, green, brown and red. Prepared extracts were tested, and varying degrees of activity were exhibited. Most activity was shown by Ulva fasciata, Sargassum cervicone and Halimeda macroloba

Sachithananthan, K.

Sivapalan, A.

Aquatic Commons

REA Fish, Res. Sm., Sri Lanka, Vol. 26, Abs.. T & 2, pp, 5-9, June & December, 1975 
Antibacterial Properties of Some Marine Algae of Sri Lanka* 
By 
K. SACIETHANANTHANt AND A., SIVAPALAN:1: 
INTRODUCTION 
IT has been shown in the past that some of the phytoplanktonic organisms exhibit antibacterial 
properties. Pratt (1948) reported the presence of an. inhibitory substance cholorellin in cultures of 
Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Similar inhibitory action among fresh water algae is 
found in the antibiosis observed between Chlamydomonas and Haematococcus (Proctor 1957). Work 
carried out by Marcel (1963) indicated that liquid cultures of .Phormidium uncinatum and Scenedesmus 
quadricauda produced extra cellular growth inhibiting substances. Ramamurthy (1967) made 
observations on the antibacterial activity exhibited by the marine blue green alga Trichoclesmium 
erythraeum. Occurrence of antibiotic substances in the marine macroscopic algae commonly known 
as sea weeds has been shown by many workers. Pratt (1951), Sieburth and Burkholders (1959), 
Chesters (1956) have studied the antibiotic properties of several species of sea weeds belonging to 
Chlorophyceae, Phaeophyceae and Rhodophyceae., Nadal (1965) isolated two antibiotic substances 
Sarganin and. Chonalgin from sea weeds. Sarganin is a broad spectrum antibiotic substance isolated 
originally from Sargassum. natans. Chonalgin is obtained from Chondria littoralis. Several other 
antibiotic substances have been isolated and their chemical nature have been determined. No previous 
attempts have been made to investigate the antibiotic properties of algae of Sri Lanka. This paper 
reports on the observation made on the antibacterial activity of some marine algae growing in waters 
around Sri Lanka. 
Materials and Methods 
Eleven marine algae belonging to Chlorophyceae, Phaeophyceae and Rhodophyceae were 
collected from shore off Colombo and Ga.lle and were tested for their antibiosis. The algal species 
tested were Ulva reticulata, Ulva fasciata, Chaetomorpha aerea,limeda macroloba, Valoniopsis, 
pachynema, Padina pavonia, Sargassum cervicone, Gracilaria sp. Sarcodia ceylanica, Laurencia sp. 
and Jania natalensis. The extracts of these algae were prepared in water, ethanol, benzene and 
petroleum ethers. 100g. of clean algae were extracted in 250 rrl. of the solvent. The filtered extracts 
were concentrated by vacuum distillation. 
* Text of paper presented at the 30th. Annual Sessions of the Ceylon Association for the Advancement of 
Science, December 1974; 
f Fisheries Research Station, P. Q. Box 531, Colombo 3, 
Present Address 
Botany Department, Jaffna Campus, University of Sri .t.ank, Vaddi),1,1c.ocklai, 
ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES, 'MARINE ALGAE 
Sterile filter paper disks of 5 mm. diameter were soaked over night in the extracts and were 
dried at room. temperature. Six known type cultures (Table I) and six unknown isolates from the 
marine environment were tested against the algal extracts. Cultures were grown in medium (Lab. 
leinco 0 . 1 Vo , yeast extract 0 . 2 °,/,, peptone 0 - 5%, NaCl. 0 . 5% and agar 1'5%) prepared with distilled 
water for the six known types and with aged sea water for the six unknown. isolates from the marine 
eivironment. The dried filter paper disks were placed in seeded plates and the inhibition zones, if 
any, were measured in min distance from the edge of the filter paper disks to the inner margin of the 
microbial growth after 24-hour incubation at 37C. 
TABLE 
Culture types used as test organisms 
K710 'Types 	 Uilknown Types 
	
Shape 	 Motility 	 Gram. reaction 
Peeudomonas pyocyanea 
	 Culture No. 4 	 rod 
Escherichia coli 	 Culture No. 6 	 coccus  
Staphylococcus aureus 	 Culture No. 7 	 coccus 	 , 	 , 
Sarcina lutea 	 . 	 Culture No 8 	 .coccus 	 ...._ 
Bacillus subtilis 	 Culture No. 9 	 coccus 
Cancticla albicans 	 culture No,1(l 
	 , 	 rod 	 ,  
Results 
The extent of inhibition and the results for the diffetent algal extracts are given in table 
DISCUSSION 
Table H clearly indicates the existence of antibacterial activity in the algal extracts. Different 
extracts show varying degrees of antimicrobial activity. Among the algal types Ulva fasciata shows 
considerable degree of antibacterial activity. The ether extract of this alga appears to be very effective 
against all the culture types. Among the other algal types Sargassum cervicone and Halimecici 
macroloba show marked activity. The culture type No. 8 seems to be very susceptible to all the 
algal extracts. The present study is only a preliminary observation to investigate the antibiotic 
properties of marine algae of Sri Lanka. Work cal ried out by Almodovar (1963) indicates that there 
is seasonal variation in the antibiotic properties of algae, Further detail studies are necessary to 
determine the seasonal variation in the antibiolic activity of the difierent species of algae and to 
determine the chemical nature of the extract that causc;s antibiosis. 
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SACHITHANANTHAN AND SIVAPALAN 	 9 
REFERENCES 
ALMODOVAR, R. (1963). Ecological aspects of some antibiotic algae in Puerto Rico, Botanica Marina, 143-146. 
BURKHOLDER, R. and Almodovar, R. (1960). Antibiotic properties of some marine algae of Puerto Rico. 
Botanica Marina, 149-156. 
NADAL. N. G. (1965). Antibiotic properties of marine algae, Botanica Marina, pp. 21-26. 
PROCTOR, V. W. (1957). Studies on algal antibiosis using Chlanudomonas and Haematococcus, Limnol. Oceanogr. 
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RAMAMURTHY, V. D. (1967). The antibiotic properties of marine blue green alga Trichodesmium erythraeum, Curr 
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RAMAMURTHY, V. D. (1974). Effect of some antibiotics on microbes associated with marine blue green alga 
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SACHITHANANTHAN, K. LAU, Y. K. and NGUYEN, V. X. (1973). Antibiotic properties of some marine organism 
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Antibacterial properties of some marine algae of Sri Lanka

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Antibacterial properties of some marine algae of Sri Lanka

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