Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Zostera marina L. Extract

Methanol crude extract of the sea grass Zostera marina L. and organic solvent fractions (n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water) were screened for antioxidant activity (total phenolic contents, DPPH scavenging activity, and reducing power) and antimicrobial activity against three human skin pathogens, two bacteria and a yeast; Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Candida albicans. Total phenolic contents and 2, 2diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity were highest in the ethyl acetate fraction with 968.50 g gallic acid equivalent per milligram of extract, and ca. 95% scavenging activity on the DPPH radicals at 10 mg ml -1 . In antimicrobial activity tests, MICs (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) of each Zostera marina extract partitioned ranged from 1mg to 8 mg ml -1 (extract/ 10% DMSO) against all three human skin pathogens. The MICs of the ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions were the same with 1 mg ml -1 against S. aureus and C. albicans. The ethyl acetate fraction of Z. marina does protect against free radicals and may be used to inhibit the growth of human skin pathogens.