Chemical and biological investigation of the marine bacterium Rhodococcus sp. UA13

Abstract

In this work, a new indole alkaloid, rhodindohyde was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of the marine bacterium Rhodococcus sp. UA13, previously obtained from the Red Sea sponge Callyspongia aff. implexa. The structure of the new compound was identified with the aid of 1D and 2D NMR experiments, as well as HR-ESI-MS technique. Rhodindohyde was found to exert weak inhibitory activities (IC50 > 100 μg/mL) against both Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 8325 and Trypanosoma brucei brucei TC221. On the other hand, a limited number of studies have deliberated the anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving potential of marine bacteria and their natural metabolites as yet; therefore, the possible analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties of the methanol fraction of Rhodococcus sp. UA13 were explored using a number of pharmacologically relevant test models. Results showed that the methanol fraction have demonstrated noticeable and statistically significant activities that were also comparable to those of the tested reference drugs; highlighting the helpful role of marine actinomycetes in developing of future therapeutic agents against inflammatory conditions associated with pains and fever.