The Utilization of Seaweeds as An Inexpensive Source of New Drugs Agent

Abstract

The human population growth has been followed by an infection rate increase of pathogenic bacteria. The continual use of synthetic antibacterial chemicals has negative effects, pathogenic bacterial resistance of high doses. Therefore, the discovery of a new antibacterial agent is an urgent need. The search for new drug agents as antibacteria has expanded to marine organisms, especially seaweeds. This research aimed to measure the clear zone of seaweeds against bacterial tests and to evaluate the ability of seaweed as an antibacterial agent. The seaweed samples were collected from Pantai Panjang, Bengkulu, Indonesia, using a purposive sampling method. Maceration method used to extract the antibacterial agent from seaweeds. Agar diffusion method was used as an antibacterial activity assay against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhii, and Staphylococcus aureus as the tested bacteria. There were three species of seaweeds found in the location e.g., Halimeda discoidea, Halimeda micronesica, and Caulerpa taxifolia. The antibacterial assay indicated that H. discoidea and C. taxifolia have the antibacterial activity against all tested bacteria with a clear zone that categorized into moderate and high. Meanwhile, H. micronesica had the potential as an antibacterial agent against E. coli and S. typhii with a clear zone categorized into moderate and high. In the future, it could be a potential new drug agent, especially for an antibacterial agent.