Antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of selected macroalgae from the Adriatic Sea (Boka Kotorska Bay, Montenegro)

Abstract

In this study, the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of four marine macroalgae, Codium bursa, Codium effusum, Laurencia obtusa and Padina pavonica from the Adriatic Sea were investigated. The antioxidant activities of the extracts were characterized by the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl)method and their total phenolic and flavonoid contents were quantified. The antimicrobial activity of four species against 8 pathogenic bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Micrococcus luteus, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae and 8 fungi: Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus versicolor, Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillusniger, Trichoderma viride, Penicillium funiculosum, Penicillium ochrochloron and Penicillium verrucosum var. cyclopium) were assessed. The antitumor activities were determined using two different tumor cell lines (HeLa and K562). The results have shown potential antioxidant activity of Padina pavonica, anti-bacterial and antifungal activity of Codium effusum, and strong cytotoxic activity of Laurencia obtusa. The results of this study show that marine macroalgae Codium effusum, Padina pavonica and Laurencia obtusa can be a good choice in the search for new compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-tumor effects.