title: Antiprotozoal, antimycobacterial and cytotoxic potential of twenty-three British and Irish red algae.
abstract: As part of our continuing research on seaweeds, we have screened the crude extracts of 23 red marine algae collected from England and Ireland. The clinically important blood-stage life forms of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, T. cruzi, Leishmania donovani and Mycobacterium tuberculosis were used as test organisms in the in vitro assays. The selectivity of the extracts was determined by using mammalian skeletal myoblast (L6) cells. All algal extracts showed activity against T. brucei rhodesiense, with Corallina officinalis and Ceramium virgatum being the most potent (IC(50) values 4.8 and 5.4 microg/ml), whilst none of the algal extracts inhibited the growth of T. cruzi. Except for Porphyra leucosticta, extracts from all seaweeds also showed leishmanicidal activity with IC(50) values ranging from 16.5 to 85.6 microg/ml. Only the crude extract of Calliblepharis jubata showed some weak activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MIC value 256 microg/ml), while the others were inactive at this concentration. Corallina officinalis was the only seaweed that displayed some marginal cytotoxicity (IC(50) value 88.6 microg/ml), and all remaining extracts were non-toxic towards L6 cells at 90 microg/ml concentration. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting antiprotozoal and antimycobacterial activity of British and Irish red algae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, School of Pharmacy, University of London, London WC1N 1AX, UK.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Allmendinger
authors.forename: Jasmine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spavieri
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Rosalyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: Suzie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hingley-Wilson
authors.forename: Ajit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lalvani
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guiry
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blunden
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tasdemir
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004739:England; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D007494:Ireland; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000187:drug effects; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000737:chemistry*; D014345:Trypanosoma / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts