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Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt. 2Biomedical Science Department
1
Al Farabi Colleges for Dentistry and Nursing, Riyadh, KSA. 3Botany Department, Faculty of Science,
Benha University, Benha, Egypt.
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: The present work was carried out to investigate the ability of Spirulina platensis to produce
antimicrobial substance against bacteria and fungi.
Materials and Methods: The cells of the cyanobacterium were subjected to different extractions and the purified antagonistic
compound proved to be effective against broad spectrum of bacteria and fungi. The antagonistic compound was purified
using thin layer chromatography.
Results: The results indicated that the IR spectrum showed bands at 1269 cm-1, 1414 cm-1 (C-O-C), 1643 cm-1 (CO of
amide),1563 cm-1 (C = C) and broad band 3441 cm-1 (of OH and NH)., 1HNMR showed 0.8 (-CH3), 1.2 (-CH2), 4.2(-
OH), 7.2(-NH), 7.4 and 7.7 (aromatic CH)., Mass spectrum showed molecular ion beak at m/z = 341 (abundance
(0.03%). Also, the elemental analysis gave molecular formula,C15H18NO8.
Conclusion: The purified antimicrobial compound produced by S. platensis was more active against Gram positive, Gram
negative bacteria and unicellular fungi, C. albicans. The highest biological activity was recorded against Escherichia coli,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus niger. The results of this investigation proved that cyanobacteria
could be a good source for production of antimicrobial agents which could be effective when compared with contemporary
antimicrobial compounds.
112
http://ijm.tums.ac.ir
antimicrobial substance from Spirulina platensis
MATERIALS AND METHODS cork borer and filled with 100 l of algal extract.
Plates were kept for 6 hours in a refrigerator to allow
Organism. Spirulina platensis was isolated from the antimicrobial substance to diffuse through the
freshwater channel of River Nile. The cyanobacte- inoculated medium, after 48-72 h incubation at 30
rium was identified according to Prescott (14). 2C, the clearance zones were recorded in (mm) of
The axenic culture was obtained using the method three replicates.
recommended by Bolch and Blackburn (15).
The tested microorganisms were obtained from Production and extraction of the antimicrobial
Hydrobiology Lab.; Microbiology, National institute material. Twenty liters flask with 10L of sterilized
of Oceanography and Fisheries, Cairo, Egypt. medium inoculated with 3% of nine days old culture
of S. platensis, and aerated using air pump (150
Optimization of the medium constituents affect- bubbles min-1). through a sterilized plastic tube
ing S. platensis growth. The nitrogen source (Anaga & Abu, 1977) for 9 days at 30 2C and light
(NaNO3; 2.5 gl-1) in growth medium Aiba and Ogawa intensity of 50 Em-2s-1, the biomass harvested using
(16) replaced by Glycene (4.42 gl-1), urea (1.824 20 nylon mesh and extracted using diethyl ether (1,1
gl-1), ammonium sulphate (4.12 gl-1) and ammonium v/v) shake overnight at room temperature (27-30C)
chloride (3.146 gl-1l), while phosphate (K2HPO4; 0.5 at 100 rpm, collect the organic layer and recovery
gl-1) in the standard medium was replaced by Na2HPO4 the solvent under reduced pressure using a rotate
(0.734 gl-1), Na3PO4.12H2O (1.96 gl-1), KH2PO4 (0.9 evaporator at 45C (21).
gl-1) and NaH2PO4 (0.62 gl-1). Flasks were incubated The residues (Crude extract, with a known weight)
at the same conditions then dry weight of organism were re-dissolved in 95% dimethyl sulphoxide
was determined. (DMSO), 20 l of the extract was loaded to sterilized
6 mm discs of Whatmann filter paper No. 1 and
Growth conditions. Spirulina platensis was grown allowed to dry at room temperature in laminar air
in modified Aiba and Ogawa, medium (16). Each flask flow bench (22).
was aerated using air pump (150 bubbles /min.) through
a sterilized plastic tube (17), this step also provided Purification and identification of the anti-
agitation. Flasks were incubated at 30 2C and light microbial material produced by S. platensis. Thin
intensity of 50 Em-2s-1 for 9 days at pH 9.0. layer chromatography (TLC) plates were loaded by
the crude extract and developed using chloroform,
Antimicrobial activities of S. platensis. After 9 days methanol 99:1 v/v solvent system. After migration (2
growth, antimicrobial activity was tested using agar- hours), the plate was removed and dried in a steam of
well diffusion technique (18, 19). Gram +ve bacteria; warm air and detected by UV lamp (256 nm and 360
Bacillus subtilis NCTC3610, Staphylococcus aureus nm). Each spot was removed and re-eluted in diethyl
ATCC13565, Gram -ve bacteria; Pseudomonas ether, free from silica gel by washing several times by
aeruginosa ATCC6939, Escherichia coli NCTC9132, the same solvent on filter paper, then the antimicrobial
yeast; Candida albicans ATCC10231, and fungi; activity of the filtrate was assayed by diffusion disc
Aspergillus flavous and Aspergillus niger were used technique. Also column chromatography was used
as test organisms. for the same purpose using silica gel column (1.0
Four ml 0.15 M NaCl of fresh bacterial suspension 25 cm). Five ml of the crude extract was loaded on
(12 h. old) of each isolate with 106 CFU ml-1 for the silica gel column and eluted using diethyl ether,
bacteria at OD 620 nm, and 104 cells ml-1 for yeast chloroform, acetone and ethanol 95%. After 8 hours,
based on MacFerlands scale (20), were mixed well eleven fractions were collected. Each fraction was free
with 100 ml melted warm (45C) nutrient agar from solvent, re-dissolved in appropriate solvent and
(NA). (1-140, Scharlau Chemie, S.A). The fungal screened for its antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion
suspension was prepared by six mm disk of the fungal method (22).Three trials for each were tested.
growth (7 days old culture). in 0.15 M NaCl, 4 ml
was mixed with 100ml potato dextrose agar (PDA) Structure determination of the antimicrobially
(1-483, Scharlau Chemie, S.A.) After the agar has active substance produced by S. platensis. In
set, 9 mm wells were cut in the agar with sterilized addition to classical color reactions that detect the
Table 1. MIC and MCC of purified antimicrobial substance produced by Spirulina platensis related to strptomycine and
polymycin.
MIC MCC Streptomycin Polymyxin
Microorganism
g ml-1 g ml-1 g ml-1 (IU)
B. subtilis NCTC 3610 60.0 80.0 2.0 ND
S. auerus ATCC 13565 65.0 90.0 2.5 ND
E. coli NCTC 9132 80.0 110.0 3.0 ND
P. aeruginosa ATCC 10145 85.0 120.0 3.50 ND
C. albicans ATCC 10231 30.0 45.0 1.50 20*
Aspergillus flavus > 120 >200 ND R
A. niger > 120 >200 ND R
ND, Not detected, R, Resistance, MIC, Minimum inhibition concentration.
MCC, Minimum cidal concentration.*300IU/300 l
a significant decrease in biomass production was
presence of certain groups in the molecule as the observed when urea was used (95.6 1.1012 mg/ 100
aromatic nature, reducing group, sugar moiety, ml) and no significant differences in biomass was
phenolic group, diketon bond, protein peptide bond, recorded with Na2HPO4 or Na3PO4 (110.133 0.4163
guandine and indocile groups, (23) the spectroscopic and 109.667 0.7571 mg dry wt./100 ml, respective-
analysis UV (200 400 nm) spectrum, infra-red (500- ly). However the lowest biomass concentration was
4000nm) spectrum, Nuclear magnetic resonance observed when K2HPO4 was replaced by NaH2PO4
(1HNMR), C, N, H ratio and Mass spectrum were (96.067 0.5033 mg dry wt/100 ml).
done at Cairo University Micro Analytical Center, It was found that the highest biological activity
Giza, Egypt. was recorded against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus niger.
Minimal inhibitory concentration (MICs) The results revealed that diethyl ether and ethyl
and Minimal cidal concentration (MCCs). MIC acetate exhibited antimicrobial activity against Gram
and MCC of the purified bioactive compound +ve and Gram -ve bacteria, while petroleum ether
using bacteria, yeast and filamentous fungi were exhibited antimicrobial activity against Gram -ve
determined by using a well microplate technique only and n-hexane had no activity against all test
(24). A concentration cover the range between 0.0 organisms. On the other hand, among the water-mis-
and 1000 g ml-1 of the product was made. MIC level cible solvents (acetone, methanol and ethanol) ethanol
was evaluated optically, which exhibited the lowest was the most effective solvent showed wide spectrum
growth at optical density 620nm compared to the of antimicrobial activity against Gram +ve, Gram -ve
control tube (25). MCC the concentration that showed bacteria and fungi as shown in Fig.2 and 3.
no growth (99.9 % inhibition). of each inoculum using The test microorganisms differed in relation to
viable plate count method on agar plates for bacteria their susceptibility to purified antibiotic produced by
(26), and Zapex Dox (27) the effect was observed S. platensis. The Gram positive bacterium Bacillus
as no growth appear on the plates. The assay results subtilis was the most susceptibile bacterial species,
were compared with those obtained when challenging while the Gram negative bacterium P. aeruginosa was
the bacterial isolates with commercial antibiotic as the least susceptible, the purified antibiotic produced
streptomycin (10 g) and polymyxin (300 IU). by S. platensis was observed to be more active against
Gram positive, Gram negative bacteria and unicellular
RESULTS fungi, C. albicans. On the other hand most resistance
species were the multicellular fungi as recorded data
The highest biomass concentration of Spirulina was C. albicans was the most susceptible test organism
achieved in the 9th day of growth and accounted for with minimal inhibition concentration of 30.0g ml-1,
111.701.13 mg dry wt/100 ml (Fig. 1). Also sodium while the Gram negative bacterium P. aeruginosa was
nitrate and dipotassium phosphate (standard nitrogen the least susceptible one (MIC, 85g ml-1), while the
and phosphorus sources) gave the highest value of most resistance isolates were the multicellular fungi
biomass 132.267 0.902 mg dry wt./100 ml, while A. flavus and A. niger (Table 1).
120
Diethyl
Diethyl ether Ethyl
ether Ethylacetate
acetate Petroleum ether
Petroleum ether n-hexane
n-hexane Chloroform
Chloroform
100
25 25
Dry weight (mg/100ml)
80
20 20
I n h ib it io n z o n e ( m m )
I n h ib it io n z o n e ( m m )
60
40 15
15
20 10
10
0
5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Time (day)
5
0
Fig. 1. Growth curve of S. platensis measured as mg dry 0
E . c Eo li. c o li
A . f laA .v fulasv u s
A . nAig. en rig e r
P . a Pe r. ua ge inr uog sinao s a
B . s u b t ilis
Characterization of the antimicrobial product
produced by S. platensis. The purified compound
was found to be yellowish green with no characteristic 25 Acetone
odor, soluble in methanol, diethyl ether, chloroform B Methanol
25 Acetone
and dimethyl sulfoxide, but sparingly soluble in water 20 Ethanol
B Methanol
and acetone with melting point 37-40C (data not Ethanol
Inhibition zon (mm)
20
shown). 15
Inhibition zon (mm)
13
Fig. 3. UV Spectrum of the antimicribially active compound Fig. 4. IR Spectrum of the antimicribially active compound
produced by Spirulina platensis. produced by Spirulina platensis.
13
Fig. 5. 1HNMR Spectrum of the antimicribially active compound produced by Spirulina platensis.
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