Phytochemical screening, Antioxidant Activity and GC-MS analysis of marine alga Spatoglossum asperum(j.agardh)-Dictyotaceae from Kunkeshwar coast of Devgad district

Abstract

The present investigation aimed to assess and evaluate secondary metabolites and antioxidant activity of marine alga Spatoglossumasperum. The brown alga was collected from Kunkeshwar coast of Devgad district, Maharashtra, authenticated, shade dried and grinded to powder. The primary phytochemical screening was carried out by extracting the algawith different polar and non polar solvents namely ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, petroleum ether, chloroform,n- Hexane, diethyl ether. The significant free radical scavenging activity against DPPH assay was examined for antioxidant property. Ethanolic extract obtained by Soxhlet assembly was subjected to GC-MS analysis to reveal the richness of its bioactive compounds. From the study, it can be concluded that Spatoglossumasperum serve as a potent and promising source for natural antioxidant lead molecules in cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical industry.

Introduction

Overview

The study explores the phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, and bioactive compounds of Spatoglossum asperum, a marine brown alga collected from the Kunkeshwar coast (Maharashtra, India). This alga holds economic, ecological, medicinal, and pharmaceutical potential due to its rich secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds.

Key Findings

1. Nutraceutical and Pharmaceutical Potential

• Algae are nutritionally rich and can be used as dietary supplements and functional ingredients in foods.

• Spatoglossum asperum contains bioactive compounds with medicinal, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and cosmetic applications.

2. Methodology

• Alga was collected, authenticated, cleaned, dried, and powdered.

• Extracts were prepared using solvents of varying polarity (e.g., ethanol, methanol, hexane).

• Phytochemical screening (qualitative and quantitative), DPPH antioxidant assay, and GC-MS analysis were conducted.

3. Phytochemical Screening

• Ethanol extract showed the richest presence of phytochemicals.

• Detected compounds included flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, and coumarins.

• Flavonoids were the most abundant (33.4 mg/g), followed by phenols (8.92 mg/g) and tannins (6.96 mg/g).

4. Antioxidant Activity

• The ethanolic extract demonstrated significant free radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 160 µg/ml, indicating strong antioxidant potential due to high flavonoid and phenol content.

5. GC-MS Analysis

• Identified 16 bioactive compounds, including:

  • Ethane, 1,1-diethoxy- (20.82%) – flavoring agent

  • n-Hexadecanoic acid (11.93%) – antibacterial, antifungal

  • Naphthalene (10.96%) – aromatic compound

  • Hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester (7.03%) – bioactive agent

• Compound diversity supports pharmaceutical and cosmetic relevance.

Conclusion

The present study of Spatoglossumasperum on phytochemical screening, antioxidant activity and GC-MS analysis provides valuable information about richness of the marine brown alga concerning its diverse phytochemicals like flavonoids, phenols, tannins, alkaloids, coumarins and its antioxidant property of endogenous defense mechanism as a protection against oxidative stress due to extreme level of environmental conditions. The investigation findings concluded that the stronger extraction capacity of ethanol could have enabled to produce several active secondary metabolites responsible for several biological activities and hence proved as potent seaweed for the development of pharmaceutical compounds. These secondary metabolites might be utilized in near future for the expansion of traditional medicines and further exploration needs to elute novel active compounds from the seaweed which may pave a new way to treat many fatal diseases that need to be conquered upon. Further, it is suggested for isolation, purification and characterization of individual bioactive compounds from Spatoglossumasperumto study their unique active principles.

References

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Copyright © 2025 Nilesh Kadam, Sunil Shankhadarwar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.