Abstract
The Gulf of Mannar is a Marine Biosphere Reserve situated along the east coast of India and Sri Lanka, an area of about 10,500 sq. km which has a luxuriant growth of about 680 species of seaweed belonging to the Rhodophyta, Pheaophyta and Chlorophyta, in both the inter-tidal and deep water regions. Seaweed constitutes a commercially important marine renewable resource. Seaweeds are rich in polysaccharides, minerals, proteins and vitamins. Documented antioxidant activity would elevate their value in the human diet as food and pharmaceutical supplements thus, in the present investigation the sea weed samples were collected in sterile condition and their antioxidant property for methanolic and petroleum ether extract was carried out by reducing power assay. The extraction process was carried out by drying and extracted the fine powder with different solvents. The extracted samples were then dissolved to a stock concentration of 1mg/ml and the reducing power assay was carried out with different concentrations of the sample.The methanolic extract of Cymodoceaeserrulata, Gracillariafolifera and Turbinariaconoides showed higher reducing power when compared to the standard.The petroleum ether extract of Cymodoceaerotundata and Ulvareticulata extracts showed higher activity when compared to the standard whereas Kappaphycussps showed the least activity when checked for its reducing power activity.
Highlights
Free radicals are responsible for aging and causing various human diseases
The petroleum ether extract of Kapppaphycussps.showed the least activity when checked for its reducing power activity (Figure 3)
Sargassum species might be a valuable source of natural antioxidants containing both water- and fatsoluble antioxidative components, preventing oxidative damage of food oils (Siriwardhanaet al. 2003, 2004)
Summary
Free radicals are responsible for aging and causing various human diseases. A study shows that antioxidant substances which scavenge free radicals play an important role in the prevention of free radical-induced diseases. The primary radicals are reduced to nonradical chemical compounds and are converted to oxidize antioxidant radicals (Jadhavet al., 1995; Yamaguchi et al, 1998). This action helps in protecting the body from degenerative diseases. Seaweeds belong to a group of plants known as algae They are rich in polysaccharides, minerals, proteins and vitamins. Most seaweeds are divided into three categories based on their colours such as red (4,500 species), green (900 species) and brown (1,000 species) It has been used as food, fertilizer and for medicinal purposes for a long time. Most Malaysians exhibit little interest in consuming seaweeds, it is consumed by small pockets of the population along the coastal areas of Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (Norziah&Ching, 2000)
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