Scientists devise frugal method to extract anti-TB agents from marine microalgae
Scientists devise frugal method to extract anti-TB agents from marine microalgae
New Delhi (India Science Wire). Marine Biotechnology Division of National Institute of
Ocean Technology (NIOT) has discovered a potential anti-TB agent to fight against
tuberculosis (TB) by successfully isolating the biomolecules of pharmacological
importance from a marine microalgae Chlorella vulgaris.
This is possibly the first time
that a promising anti-TB agent from the marine microalgae Chlorella vulgaris
is developed during the production of Chlorella
Growth Factor (CGF), lipid and lutein through a low cost extraction
process. The hot water extract of C.vulgaris
is also known as CGF. The study also highlights a cost-effective
technology for the production of multiple biomolecules, sequentially from
marine micro-alga biomass.
Tuberculosis is a highly
contagious bacterial disease, which is still one of the biggest threats to
humanity. Despite the availability of live attenuated vaccine and their
effectiveness against the disease is proven, the treatment of TB is difficult
because the TB bacteria have thick cell walls that drugs have difficulty in penetrating
and a protein in the bacteria makes it resistant to treatment. Sometimes
bacteria can hide within the immune system and become dormant and reappear
after treatment ends with mutated strains resistant to antibiotics and
vaccines. "Most of the drugs currently used, only kill bacteria that are
trying to replicate," so we need drugs that can kill those dormant ones too,"
scientists opined.
The marine natural
compounds isolated from the microalgae using a cost effective method by the
NIOT scientists would contribute to the development of a new compound to kill
the dormant tuberculosis bacteria. Scientists held that as the microalgae
possess sophisticated chemical structures, it has potential in the
pharmaceutical and medical areas, including development of drugs for other
neglected tropical diseases.
The present study revealed that Fatty
Acid-Carotenoid Complex (FACC) of potent anti-TB agents such as oleic,
linoleic, and linolenic acids with effective antioxidants such as carotenoids
would be an effective approach for tuberculosis treatment which allies with HIV
related disorder, where the immunity is lost and oxidative stress boosts up.
The CGF is rich in
amino acids, peptides, vitamins, minerals and nucleic acids. Number of
studies reported that Chlorella vulgaris exhibited protection against
oxidative stress, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to the presences
of micro-and macro-nutrients such as proteins, polysaccharides, omega-3 polyunsaturated
fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. In the present study, NIOT scientists have
isolated two types of fatty acids-carotenoid complexes (FACC) namely, FACC-1
(red oil) and FACC-2 (brown oil) in addition to lipid and lutein from the spent
biomass of C.vulgaris after the extraction of CGF. The study further revealed
that these fatty acid-carotenoid complexes are an effective anti-TB agent, due
to its potential to act at lower concentrations. The mechanism behind this
significant effect is that these oils are rich in many potent anti-TB
agents (oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids) that are indeed effective
individually as well as in complex with carotenoids that act as potent
antioxidants (canthaxanthin, neoxanthin, cryptoxanthin and echinenone).
This research work was led by Dr. Kirubagaran R., Dr. Dharani G., and a team comprised of Kumar T.S., Josephine A, and Sreelatha T. of NIOT, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Raja Kumar S. of Bharathidasan University and Azger Dusthackeer VN, and Mahizhaveni B of National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chetpet, Chennai, The research paper is published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
(India Science Wire)