Abstract

Kshetrimayum Mirabai Devi and *Surya Kant Mehta

ABSTRACT

Fischerella ambigua, a freshwater microalga, was isolated from Tamdil Wetland of Mizoram and extracted with methanol, ethanol: water and dichloromethane: isopropanol for the test of their antimicrobial activity against nine microorganisms comprising of three chlorophycean algae (Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus quadricauda and Selenastrum capricornutum), one cyanobacterium (Anabaena variabilis) three bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus and Escherichia coli) and two fungal strains (Fusarium udum and Fusarium culmorum). The growths of all the tested microalgae were inhibited in the study. The methanol extract was less effective compared to ethanol: water and dichloromethane: isopropanol extracts. When tested on bacterial strains, the growth inhibition zones were observed only in B. pumilus. In case of fungal activity, the highest inhibition zone was observed in both the Fusarium species by dichloromethane: isopropanol extract. MICs of each extract on all the organisms varied. The extracts were further analysed by UV-VIS Spectrophotometer, which reveals the presence of active compounds. Among the three extracts, dichloromethane: isopropanol extract was selected and analysed by GC-MS which identified the presence of main components in the extract as 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, mono(2-ethylhexyl) ester, Heptadecane, Nonadecane, Phytol, n-Hexadecanoic acid, etc. Further study for purification of the potent compound will explain their usefulness in biotechnological and pharmaceutical industry.