Marine Microbial Metabolites as Drug Candidates for Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

With an increase in the number of mortality rates among the elderly due to Alzheimer’s disease, the need for developing a lifesaving drug is imperative. Beta secretase has become an attractive target for the development of new anti-Alzheimer’s drug which could curb the disease. Due to the advancement in screening technologies, marine microbial bioprospecting has yielded a considerable amount of bioactive molecules as drug candidates for various incurable diseases. Among all, marine fungi is known for its rich source of novel chemical entities as therapeutic molecules. Current study was envisaged to evaluate the beta secretase inhibitory property of marine microbes isolated from Arabian and Coromandel Coast. In this study, marine sediment and water samples were collected from various offshore locations. Sediment samples were diluted and plated on a selective medium to isolate fungal strains. All the isolates were screened for trypsin and beta secretase inhibitory activity using in vitro assays. A 16SrRNA sequencing and morphological characterization was done to identify the promising isolate. A total of 50 microbial strains were isolated from the sediment samples and water samples. Out of 50 isolates tested, CSS4F4 exhibited highest beta secretase (52.77± 1.99 %) and appreciable trypsin inhibition (63.10± 0.64 %). The isolate was identified as Aspergillus sp. 1 SH-2016 strain through 16SrNA sequencing. Phytochemical screening of ethyl acetate extract of the active isolate indicated the presence of flavonoids, polyphenols and terpenoids. This research extends our knowledge of the bioactive potential of marine fungal metabolites as a promising beta secretase inhibitor for the mitigation of AD