Antimicrobial substances of potential biomedical importance from holothurian species

Abstract

Antibacterial and antifungal activities of alcoholic extracts of holothurian species such as <i>Actinopyga echinites, A. miliaris</i>.<i> Holothuria</i> <i>atra</i> and <i>H. scabra</i> of Tamil Nadu coast were studied. Bacteria such as <i>Aeromonas hydrophila, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus</i> sp., <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus</i> and V<i>ibrio harveyi</i>, and fish-borne mold<i>, Aspergillus</i> sp. were inhibited at varying levels by the extracts of <i>A. miliaris, H. atra</i> and <i>H. scabra</i>. <i>Bacillus</i> sp. was not affected by holothurian extracts. The results of the study revealed the presence of antimicrobial substances possibly steroidal sapogenins in holothuria. There exist a great potential for the extraction of bioactive substances of medical importance at a lower cost from marine holothurians.